Bryce Larkin  Douche Bag At Large
by jaytoyz
Summary: Chuck gets the intersect from Bryce and sarah comes looking for it...AU?..oh yeah..Charah?..of course..rest of the cast?..here and there...great summary?..well, duh...are mine ever?...possible launch, reviews will decide...yup, shameless begging 4 attn.JT
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So, you're probably wondering …JT…WTF…why aren't you writing some more Swimmer, or TRFW or(shudder) Last(ish)…well, to he honest, this idea hit me about six hours ago and here it is…don't like the title?-review…think it's inspired or stolen(I think it's mine but anything's possible)…Review…interested in seeing more?…review…not willing to take the time to answer any of the previous questions…REVIEW…yup, it's easy, just review, you know what to do. JT

No Beta…I know, I know…big whoop…also, I don't own Chuck or anything in the Chuckverse…and I make no money from this…that's right, I do it for fun so why not leave a review…it's easy to do.

Thanks for the nudge, Jim…I'm still smiling.

**Bryce Larkin - Douche Bag At Large - **Chapter 1(?)

Sarah Walker was confused. She been recalled to 'work' just two days into her first vacation in two years. She'd been in 'deep cover' in France, working her way into a semi-legit arms manufacturing company.

She had been, literally, hours away from marrying her mark, the vice-president of the company who also happened to be the son of the owner. The bridal party was just getting ready to head to the cathedral for the wedding when a joint MI6/ CIA task force descended on the family's villa and arrested everyone present. Sarah and her arms-dealing, scumbag of a fiancé had been thrown into the same van along with her almost father-in-law. Both of the men had stared down their noses at her as she sat across from them with tears streaming down her face. They'd spoken to each other in German as Sarah looked on with a confused look on her face.

The two men would have been surprised to learn that the 'spoiled' American understood everything they were saying. She not only spoke French but also Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Farsi, Flemish , German and , thanks to a brief relationship with a William Shatner fan, a smattering of Esperanto. The guy hadn't been that bad but she'd had to watch that awful movie more times than she cared to remember. Cursing herself for her brief trip down memory lane, she snapped back to her present . Remembering to cry like a broken hearted almost-bride, she listened as the two men exchanged plans on how to deal with their current problem. She also found out that her fiancé had two 'side-pieces' that he was sure he'd hidden from her. She'd known about them both and looked forward to the time he spent on 'business' trips because they meant less time she had to pretend to enjoy his company.

Of course, her arrest and subsequent incarceration were well documented, with extra care being taken to make sure that her cover wasn't blown. The French authorities were happy to extradite Jessie Franco to the United States of America where the CIA promptly threw her into their most secure 'super-max' facility. Less than a week later, Jessie Franco had been attacked and killed by another inmate who was then killed while trying to escape.

Two bodies were identified, two bodies went unclaimed because neither woman had family that cared enough and two bodies were disposed of…bringing to a close the life stories of Stella Rodnick and Jessie Franco.

By the time that the last of the paperwork was finished, Sarah 'Jessie Franco' Walker had returned to Washington D.C., been fully debriefed, gone through a complete medical and mental evaluation and was finally settling into her second day of agency recommended/required leave. Her 'Vacation' ended at a little after 2 AM when the director of the CIA had called, demanding her presence at an unbelievably secure facility located several miles outside of Arlington, Wets Virginia. After throwing on some clothes, Sarah was soon behind the wheel of her beloved Porsche that had, up until yesterday, been stored at the CIA's state of the at garage.

The trip to the facility had taken quite a bit less time than would have been needed by the average motorist…hell, she was sure that even a Nascar or Indy driver might have had a tough time keeping up with her.

Pulling into the non-descript parking lot where the facility was located, Sarah got out of her car and was immediately greeted by two very large men who were dressed as custodians. Accepting the escort silently, she was lead through five checkpoints, the last two of which required retinal scans. The two 'janitors' seemed to vanish just as she stepped into the still smoldering remains of a twenty by twenty foot room. Taking note of the two people standing in front of her, she stood silently, waiting for one of them to speak to her. Seeing her boss, CIA Director Langstom Graham was expected however, finding General Diane Beckman, the director of the NSA, standing next to her boss was a surprise. Whatever had been housed in this room must have been of great importance and , if she was honest with herself, she was curious why she'd been called in.

"Agent Walker…" the diminutive general spoke first, "…what do you know about the Intersect Project?"

"Ma'am? The Intersect Project? Isn't that just a myth?" Sarah asked, trying to keep a look of confusion on her face.

"Langstom" the general said, turning to glare at the man standing beside her, "…I thought you said she was the best. Do you really train your agents to believe that I'm an imbecile?"

"Sarah?" the big man said, obviously struggling to keep his emotions in check.

"Sir…ma'am…" she said looking back at the general, "…what I've heard is that the Intersect Project involved a super computer that gathered information from…well, from any source it could, and then used it's program to filter through all of the info and separate it into usable files"

"And…?" the general asked and Sarah could almost see her tiny foot tapping as she waited for Sarah to add something to her statement.

"And?" Sarah asked back. Seeing the look on her boss's face, she continued after realizing that she was expected to tell her everything she'd heard, even the wildly unbelievable rumors. "And it's been hinted that there is the desire to somehow be able to upload the information packets into a human being…maybe several human beings…agents, more specifically."

"Project Omaha…" the general said after a quick glance at her counter-part who gave her a barely perceptible nod, "…was first envisioned over fifteen years ago. Testing had begun on uploading to humans but paused when it was determined that the mental requirements for successful implementation of the uploads was…well, let's just say that we haven't been able to locate the right test subject for a full upload."

"Um…ok…so why am I here?"

"Agent Walker…what can you tell me about Mr. Bryce Larkin?" the general asked, clearly having some information but wanting to hear her opinion. Sarah didn't miss that somehow Bryce Larkin had been demoted from Agent to 'Mr.' sometime very recently, she also decided to not change how she addressed him until told to do so.

"Well, General Beckman…Agent Larkin is a hell of a field agent, definitely one of the best. We went through basic together and worked together up until about three years ago."

"At which time you requested and received your first solo mission, Would you mind telling me why you requested to go solo?"

"Well…ma'am, I decided that I would work best alone…"

"And this was about the same time that your personal relationship with Mr. Larkin ended?" the general asked with one eyebrow raised.

Knowing better than to argue that her personal life was her own, she simply nodded her head and offered a quiet "Yes ma'am".

"So, given everything, I would like your personal assessment of Mr. Bryce Larkin."

"Well, General, Bryce Larkin is a hell of a spy but a complete and total douche bag." Sarah offered, deciding to use complete honesty in her description of her ex-lover. "May I ask why you wanted my opinion on Agent Larkin…ma'am…and what does that have to do with why I was re-called from my vacation so I could find myself standing here at…" she glanced at her watch, "…almost three in the morning?"

"Because, Agent Walker…at a little after midnight, then Agent Larkin broke into this facility, downloaded all of the top priority Intersect files and then destroyed the Intersect. He managed to escape after an exchange of gun fire with Major John Casey who is currently being treated for a GSW to the left shoulder. You are standing in the middle of Mr. Larkin's handiwork…any thoughts?" the general asked, having clearly designated just when Bryce went from 'Agent' to 'Mr.'.

Doing some quick mental math, Sarah suddenly figured out why she'd been called here. "Director…General…I have no idea why Bryce did this. Except for a couple of voice mails he left me, I haven't spoken with him since our 'partnership' cratered." She watched the two directors exchange glances, again, before General Diane Beckman actually sighed.

"We know that, Agent Walker. That's why you're standing here, still armed, instead of sitting in some cell, waiting to join 'Jessie Franco' in some unmarked grave. What we want is for you to use your personal knowledge of Mr. Larkin to lead the search for him. As soon as Major Casey is ready, he'll be joining you in the investigation."

"General…Director…" Sarah said with a shake of her head, "…my relationship with Bryce wasn't really all that personal. Honestly, it was mostly about the sex. We weren't in love…hell, I don't know if we were even friends. He could be charming and a lot of fun to be around…sometimes…but, he really was a …"

"Douche bag" the general finished, surprising her by filling in the blank. "Yes, we are aware of that. We still want you to take lead. Talk to everyone who ever knew him…family, high school friends…even the college room mate he screwed over…"

"What…the guy who tried to steal his girlfriend…I think he said her name was Jill…"

"Agent Walker…you really didn't know Mr. Larkin very well. He framed his college roommate for cheating, got him kicked out of Stanford and then finished the triple crown of 'douche baggery' by sleeping with his fiancé…I'd bet that the young man would probably agree with your assessment of Mr. Larkin. Any questions, Agent?" the general finished before handing a file to her. Seeing that the agent didn't have any questions, she nodded to Langstom Graham before looking back at Sarah. "Keep us up to date, Agent Walker. Major Casey will join you as soon as he's able to. Good night."

Sarah knew that she'd been dismissed so she turned and made her way towards where she left her car, wondering what would be her best starting point. 'What the fuck have you done, Bryce…and why?' she asked herself as her escort 'janitors' materialized at her side. "Hey guys…I guess once you get me back to my car, you'll have to get out the mops and get started on that mess back there?" When the only response she received was twin grunts, Sarah decided to not try any more conversation, instead going over whatever she could remember that Bryce had told her about his life before…and, she had to admit to herself, there wasn't a lot.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Chuck Bartowski forced one eye open to glare his alarm clock which had picked the wrong time to go off…he was sure of that. There must have been some error because he was sure that he shouldn't be awake this early. He thought back to the previous night and the birthday party that his sister had thrown for him. He and his best friend had initially tried to escape but Ellie had caught them before they could follow through on their plans. He was sure that Ellie would have let Morgan get away but she'd insisted that she'd invited 'real, live girls' for him to meet and so he'd spent the night talking to lots of Ellie's single friends. At one point, one of them had offered to give him a free, 'wink wink', physical and he briefly considered accepting. Hell, the woman had been gorgeous and she had the most amazing rack…which she had barely been able to keep in her top the whole time she'd been rubbing up against him. His innate sense of decency warred with his baser instincts and it had been a close thing…closer than he'd allowed himself to get in years…the brunette hair had tripped the barely concealed 'Jill' trigger and he'd retreated into his normal, 'beautiful woman' default setting…namely, babbling like a loon about gaming and sci-fi until the woman bolted, fearing that she might be sucked into the 'black-hole' of nerdiness that Chuck could project.

The whole party seemed to go downhill after that…everyone seemed to have a great time thanks to the wonderful food that Ellie had prepared and the alcohol which flowed freely but it seemed that some unspoken word spread among the 'single and available women that Chuck Bartowski, although very cute in a nerdy way, had been left very damaged by an ex and juts wasn't worth the time. No one went out of their way to be rude, it was, after all, his birthday, but he didn't get anymore offers of free physicals and, very strangely, three business cards with personal numbers on them that he'd placed in his breast pocket somehow vanished.

Around midnight, Chuck had thanked his sister for throwing such a wonderful party and then excused himself, finally making his way back to his room where he'd found Morgan, lost to the world, in World of Warcraft on his computer. He watched for a few minutes until he realized that his buddy wasn't playing his usual role and that he was, in fact, playing Chuck's.

"Morgan, buddy…as much as I love spending quality time like this…get the hell off of my computer and go home. You and I both have to work tomorrow so it's pedal time for you" Chuck said with a smile as he sat down on the edge of his bed.

"Are you sure you want me to split…I could stick around and you could tell me all about that one 'Emersom' award winner I saw you talking to?"

"Morgan…no. I'm tired and I want to go to sleep…uh… 'Emersom'?" he asked, afraid what his curiosity might have gotten him into.

"Yeah, dude…'Emersom' nice looking…"

"Yeah, Morgan…I get it. Now…goodnight."

"Yeah…night Chuck…oh, and happy birthday" he said as he made his way out of the window, using his 'Morgan' door as he'd come to refer to it.

"Thanks, buddy. Pedal safe." Chuck said as he closed the window. Turning around, he took a seat at the computer and thought about doing a little surfing but decided to go to bed instead and five minutes later he was sound asleep. He slept like a log and, if not for the alarm, he was sure he could've spent three or four more hours in bed.

Glaring at the alarm clock, he reached out and hit the off button and then slowly rolled over and sat up. It took a few moments for the difference in his room to make it's way to his conscious brain but once there he struggled to keep from yelling out at the sight of the stranger sitting in his computer chair. Upon closer inspection, he was shocked to realize that the 'stranger' was in fact Bryce 'King of the Douche Bags' Larkin. He hadn't seen his former roommate in over five years and he told himself that he could have gone the rest of his life without ever seeing him again.

Taking a closer look, he realized that Bryce Larkin looked like someone had beaten the crap out of him…recently. He also noticed a small puddle of what looked like blood on the floor under the chair. Leaning closer, he thought he might have found the source of the blood…something that looked suspiciously like a gunshot wound. Chuck hadn't seen a lot of bullet holes…well, to be honest, he'd never seen one up close…but this sure looked like what he imagined a bullet hole in a person would look like. Reaching out a hand to push Bryce's jacket aside, he was surprised when the man's eyes flew open and his hand shot out and grabbed Chuck's wrist.

"Jesus, Bryce…what the hell?" Chuck asked as he pulled back from the man seated in the chair. His wrist had been released almost as fast as it had been grabbed and now Bryce just stared at him. Looking closely, Chuck realized that Bryce's right eye was so bloodshot that it almost seemed to be solid red, the other eye looked perfectly normal. "Not that I care, but you look like shit…and, if it's not to much trouble, how about telling me why I shouldn't call the cops and have you arrested for breaking and entering…I know I'd enjoy seeing you get dragged off in cuffs and it already looks like you've had a little 'stick' time…so…?" he snatched his phone from the bedside table and held it in his hand, obviously ready to dial.

"Chuck, look, I realize that you probably hate me but if you call the cops…I'm a dead man…literally."

"And the downside of that is?" Chuck asked with a much snark as he could muster. When he saw Bryce reach into his coat he flinched backwards even though he wasn't sure exactly why. He watched as his old roommate withdrew a small electronic device and held it out towards him, clearly wanting him to take it. "Don't tell me, let me guess. You brought me a birthday present and when I take it, it'll explode in my hand?"

"No Chuck" he answered, his voice sounding tired and raspy. "This is something that your father worked on for…well, for most of your life. I took it from someone who was trying put it to a use that your father never intended."

"What the hell are you babbling about, Bryce? You know my dad left Ellie and I a long time ago…what are you up to? Trying to find some new way to hurt me…some new way to screw with my life?…"

"Chuck, please…I understand why you hate me but I don't have enough time to explain everything to you. I've already been here too long…I brought this to you…" he said as he offered the object to Chuck again, "…because I can't think of anyone who will take better care of what it is. I have to leave…before it's too late." Getting slowly to his feet, his breath hitched when he tried to straighten up the shoulder that Chuck was now sure contained more lead than most shoulders should. He placed the object on the bed before he turned, obviously intending to exit through the window.

"Bryce, wait a minute…what's going on…where are you going?" When he turned back around, Chuck couldn't believe how tired…and lost…Bryce looked. Despite all of the hatred he had for Bryce Larkin, at that moment, all he felt was pity. "What am I supposed to do with this?" he asked after picking up the small object.

"If you have any trust left for me…any at all…keep that thing safe. You wouldn't believe me if I could tell you how important it is. If you get the chance, you should watch what's on it…that will answer a lot of your questions…about everything. I have to get out of here…please, believe me when I say that I'm sorry…for everything" he finished before he started to climb out the window. He paused when he was halfway out and looked back, "Chuck…if anyone comes around asking about me…you night want to forget you ever saw me" Bryce said and then almost smiled when he saw the look on Chuck's face, "…that shouldn't be too hard. Bye Chuck" he said before he slipped out of the window and was gone, leaving Charles Irving Bartowski staring down at the object in his hand.

The sound of his phone ringing snapped Chuck back to reality and he looked at the display before touching the connect button and putting the phone to his ear. "Yeah, Morgan…what is it?…yeah, I'll be there shortly…yeah, I know I'm running late…you know that you could always go in by yourself if you're so concerned about being late…that's what I thought…see ya soon." Hanging up the phone, Chuck got to his feet and headed towards the bathroom to get ready for another wonderful day at the Buymore. He'd taken two steps when he paused, wondering when all of the weirdness of the last fifteen minutes would actually settle in. Looking down, he realized that Bryce's 'gift' was still in his hand. Shaking his head, he tossed the device onto his bed and then resumed his mission…promising himself he'd take a closer look at…well, whatever it was, when he got into work.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

It had been two days since Bryce Larkin had pulled his strange 'hit and run' and Chuck's curiosity had been trying to 'kill' him ever since…well, whenever it had the time to. The first day 'P.B.', which was how Chuck had decided to measure time after Bryce's early morning appearance, and disappearance, had been really busy with what seemed like one install after another. Due to the un-expected 'medical' day off for two of his fellow nerd herders, he been running non-stop which left him no time to wonder anything except putting one foot in front of another. He'd gotten home and almost immediately fallen asleep. The next day had almost been a repeat of the previous day, including the absence of Jeff Barnes and Lester Patel. The two nerd herders, who had evidently just received their medical marijuana cards, were still out, taking another 'sick' day. At five o'clock, Chuck had told the store's manager that he was done for the day and he was going home. He left no room for doubt and simply ignored all of Big Mike's attempts to keep him after five. He told Morgan that he had no plans to play Call of Duty that night and that he just wanted to be left alone which Morgan, after outing like a five year old and getting no response, agreed to because he had no other choice. Once home, Chuck grabbed a quick shower, reheated some of Ellie's leftovers and then locked himself in his room.

It took Chuck just a few moments to patch 'Bryce's gift' to his computer with a USB cord. The first thing to appear was a line from the old text based game that he and Bryce used to enjoy. Making himself comfortable, Chuck answered the question that appeared on the screen in front of him and suddenly his monitor seemed to go crazy as images started appearing at a faster and faster rate. Chuck stared and simply lost track of time…before he knew it, he was shaking his head and cursing when he realized that he had a massive headache that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. He wondered why Bryce had been so worried about whatever it was he'd just watched. Looking down at the computer screen, he realized that he'd somehow lost nearly nine hours.

"Great, Bryce punked me" he mumbled to himself as he reached for the small device that was still attached to his computer. Rubbing his temples, he shut of his computer and decided to take a couple of aspirin before going to bed, promising himself to take a closer look at whatever program Bryce had used to hypnotize him. He still didn't understand the lengths that his ex-friend seemed to have gone to for the 'prank' and , he'd worry about it tomorrow. 'Hell, it is tomorrow' he told himself after he realized that it was almost five in the morning. He sat down on the edge of the bed, promising himself that he wouldn't fall asleep…and Chuck was usually very good about keeping promises…but he fell asleep anyway.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The sound of Morgan calling his name and the feeling of someone shaking him woke Chuck up. Looking around, he found Morgan…and Ellie…and her fiance, Captain Awesome standing around his bed. "Yeah…what's up guys?" he asked.

"Chuck…" Ellie was the first to speak, "…are you…are you using…?"

Chuck wanted to laugh. "Very funny Ellie…what is it with everyone and their stupid jokes, lately? Why are all of you in my room?"

"Chuck…you been asleep for over a day…you missed work yesterday" Morgan answered, a concerned look on his face.

"What are you talking about, Morgan? I worked on the …computer, last night and almost pulled an all nighter…" when he didn't find a smile on the face of anyone standing around him, he wondered to himself just what had Bryce Larkin done to him and it seemed that as soon as he thought of Bryce's name, his mind was suddenly filled with information about his ex-roommate…lots and lots of information…much more than he ever cared to know. He didn't know how but he now knew that not only was he ex-friend a spy for the CIA…according to all of this new information, he was positive that Bryce Larkin was also a huge 'douche bag'. Shaking his head, Chuck looked around at the concerned people standing around him and as he looked from one face to the next, he suddenly 'knew' much more about each of them than he had before. 'Crap' he told himself when his vision drifted to the object that was sitting on his desk, still connected to his computer. Suddenly he knew exactly what had happened to him…and he promised himself that the next chance he got, he was going to kick Bryce's balls up into his throat.

"Uh…guys, give me a couple of minutes to get cleaned up and then…well, then I've got something to tell you…and you're not going to believe it…but, man, it is so cool…I think…"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

It had been almost a week since Chuck Bartowski had become the first person to successfully upload an Intersect program…and lucky him, it had been the entire intersect. It had taken him a couple of days to find all of the controls. He still couldn't believe that his dad had designed the thing in his head and he promised to thank him, if he ever saw him again, for including a handy, dandy instruction guide in the Interesct's program. Once he'd found the controls, it was another two days before he felt that he'd gained control of the new squatter in his head. The amount of information at his command was kinda scary…and he was just waiting for one of the original 'owners' of the Intersect to show up to try and reclaim their property…boy, were they in for a surprise. He looked up from his seat at the Nerd Herd counter as the store's front doors opened and a blonde vision of loveliness strolled into Chuck's life. He watched as the beauty made her way towards him, an unsure smile on her face.

"Charles Bartowski?" the angel spoke to him.

"Chuck…everyone calls me Chuck" he managed to get out. He couldn't believe that someone this beautiful could be as deadly as the intersect had shown him she was but, as he'd found out, the program in his head could do a lot of things but it couldn't 'lie' to him. "So, Sarah Walker…"he started and noticed right away the looks of confusion and determination that seemed to be battling for dominance on her face. "…I guess you're here to talk to me about Bryce Larkin…douche bag at large?"


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Well, he's back. Been busy with other stories…writing long hand is such a joy, and for some reason, this little tidbit distracted me…pounded it out(man, that doesn't sound right) just for the people who were kind enough to review the first little bit…Chas, spell check?…yeah and the next thing your know, I'm using grammar check and then plot check…where would it end? Well written stories?…pfffffttt!…not on my watch…I'm a hack, and proud of it…for the most part…some of my rambles scare me when I go back and re-read them but that's part of the fun…and fun is why I listened to APR and posted that first chapter…and as long as I keep having fun…and the reviews keep coming…well, you get the idea.

Some have questioned the title…ok, I have to be honest…this is actually the second title…I decided not to use the original…Chuck Vs. Prince Boo Boo…there was just way too much baggage attached to that title…ok, not really…that just sounded too silly. If you have a title suggestion, include it with a review… see, self-serving, thy name if jaytoyz.

Once again, Jim, thanks for the nudge. JT

Bryce Larkin - Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 2

Agent Sarah Walker stood frozen to the spot. She felt confused and she was determined to figure out why. She knew she was in some sort of shock…she just couldn't decide which of the dozens of emotions she seemed to be feeling was causing the shock. 'Ok, maybe not dozens' she rationalized and then decided to make a quick list of what could be causing this…whatever 'this' was.

The top of the list had to be the unbelievably deep, dreamy brown eyes that were currently staring back into her own…and there was another problem…since when did she ever think of some mark's eyes as 'dreamy'?…even if they were.

'Snap out of it, Walker! Get back on mission! Get back in charge!' she told herself and shocked herself by admitting that she'd never been actually been in charge. Sure, when she had walked through the front doors of the Buymore store, she'd been ready to take control, ready to wrap the mark around her finger and squeeze until she'd gotten all of the information that she needed. She'd approached the seated 'nerd' and before she could say anything, she'd looked into his eyes and something had happened that had never happened before…she'd hesitated.

She'd been prepared. She'd read everything that any agency had ever gathered about Charles Irving Bartowski…her latest mark. All of the reports agreed that he was a brilliant but, for the last five years, unmotivated young man. Bryce Larkin had royally screwed him over at Stanford, finishing the screwing by, literally, screwing his fiancé. Before that incident, he'd been uncomfortable with the opposite sex, obviously unsure of himself. After his fiance had crushed him by falling victim to Bryce Larkin's charm, he'd spent the last five years avoiding any relationships, never dating the same woman more than once…and the number of dates was less than a dozen. She remembered wondering why there were some many reports about him and she knew that if she hadn't been so intent on finding Bryce, she would've dug deeper to see why he'd been so 'popular' with both the CIA and the NSA.

The one thing that the reports failed to explain was why Jill Roberts would ever turn her back on Chuc…Charles Bartowski. She'd already found herself lost in the 'quicksand' of those dreamy brown…'SNAP OUT OF IT!' she yelled at herself, wondering how she'd drifted back to the whole 'dreamy brown eyes' thing. In everything that she'd read, there'd been no mention of Chuc…Charles…Charles Irving Bartowski being a mesmerist… so how had he been able to hypnotize Agent Sarah Walker, one of the CIA's best, so quickly and completely? It just didn't make any sense to her.

'How?' she asked herself and then found herself answering, 'Well…mesmerists use their eyes to work their 'magic' and Chuck has those big, beautiful, dreamy brown eyes that just suck you in…SNAP OUT OF IT, WALKER!' she yelled at herself…again.

"Agent Walker" a voice called to her from what seemed like far away. She wondered who would dare interrupt her while she was trying to figure out so many things…like how Chuc…Charles…the mark knew to address her as Agent Walker.

"Sarah Walker?" the voice called to her again, making her wonder where the sexy sound was coming from.

"Jessie Franco?" the voice called to her again and suddenly alarm bells began ringing, snapping her, quite suddenly, back to reality. The two words worked like a slap to the face and Agent Sarah Walker was suddenly back. Giving her head a quick shake and blinking her eyes, she realized that the 'voice' belonged to her latest mark…Charles Irving Bartowski.

"What?" Agent Walker asked, suddenly back in control. "What did you just call me?"

"I'm sorry, Agent Walker" Chuck said, "you just seemed a little…confused?…so I thought maybe you'd respond to your last cover ID since you didn't seem to be responding to 'Walker'…and you did."

Sarah twisted her head from side to side, checking to make sure that no one was nearby who might have heard the 'mark' use a name that he shouldn't know. 'What the hell is going on?' she asked herself before she looked back at the man standing in front of her. "Where did you hear that name and why would you refer to me as…"

"A dead woman? Well, as I said, I was simply trying to get your attention and I hoped that would do just that…and it appears to have done just that. Now, how may I help you, Agent Sarah Walker?"

Sarah gave another quick look around before turning back. "First, please quit calling me 'Agent' Walker. Second, could we go somewhere and …talk?"

Chuck closed his eyes briefly, seemingly considering her request. "You know…you're not really following the manual. Shouldn't you have asked my help?…maybe had me fix your 'broken' phone or something? You know…flirted with me and hinted at the possibility of me getting lucky…maybe telling me that you just moved to town and you'd love it if I would show you around?…after all, according to the manual, if you don't at least offer the possibility of sex, how will you ever 'control' me?"

"I…uh…I wouldn't offer…uh…" Sarah stammered to a halt as she watched her mark close his eyes again briefly and then begin to blush.

"Well, Miss Walker…it seems that your instructors gave you very high marks for your , what's the term used, uh…'honeytrapping' abilities" Chuck said, the blush from moments earlier getting darker.

"How…" Sarah spoke softly while she once again checked around for anyone listening in, "…could you possibly know anything about…"

"Your marks from the academy…which are quite impressive, by the way…except for that whole 'inducement' thing…that's just sorta …icky. Well, that knowledge is all courtesy of my pal, Agent Bryce Larkin…who is the reason you're here, isn't he?"

"Why would he tell you about…me?" Sarah asked, confusion beginning to creep back in.

"He didn't 'tell' me about anything…he gave me…"

"The Intersect" Sarah finished in a hushed voice. "Oh god…it's real…and you uploaded it?…and it didn't kill you…"

"Nope…lucky me." Chuck replied, his tone of voice conveying a feeling of anything but luck. "So, what now, Agent Walker?"

Sarah Walker found herself stunned into silence…again. While she stood at the counter, trying to figure out her next move, an older gentleman accompanied by a young girl who looked like she might be his daughter, approached the other end of the counter and Chuck excused himself and walked away. As she watched, Chuck's friend and co-worker, Morgan Grimes, joined the conversation and minutes later took off towards the rear section of the store, followed by the man and his daughter. Sarah took note that the young girl was wearing a ballet outfit and she looked a little depressed.

Chuck had returned to his position in front of her with w small smile on his face. "I'm sorry, Miss Walker…I'll have to leave you for a few minutes…I have to try and help that poor father save some memories. If you don't waiting, we can resume our 'talk' after I'm finished…sound ok?"

Not knowing what to say, Sarah simply nodded her head and then watched as Charles Bartowski walked away. After thinking about it, she let her curiosity lead her and she followed Chuck, at a small distance and then watched as he , with the help of his friend, made it possible for the father to film his daughter's ballet routine. She had smiled when she overheard Chuck re-assuring the young girl that 'real ballerinas' were tall. She wanted to stay and talk more with Chuck but she just wasn't sure what to say. After all, he was a mark…an incredibly valuable piece of intelligence but, still a mark. She'd left her card on the counter near where she'd been standing and quickly exited the store, promising herself that if Chuck didn't call before she went to sleep, she'd be back tomorrow…and she wouldn't let those brown eyes through her off her game…again.

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Chuck had helped the hapless father and afterwards had returned to the Nerd Herd desk only to find that Agent Sarah Walker had disappeared, leaving behind her card. He'd been tempted to call her right away but had stopped with his hand already half way into his pocket to retrieve his cel-phone. He started going back over all of the information that the Intersect had given him and he made a mental list of everything that was wrapped up in that unbelievably beautiful package.

She knew hundreds of ways to kill and she'd killed a lot of people. Sure, the majority of them had been bad people but a few had been people she'd just used and then 'burned' once they'd outlived their usefulness. She'd also used her body in ways that had left him sickened and, if he was honest with himself, sad as well. He grasped the idea that it was her job but it still didn't feel right to him. She could also fly or drive just about any vehicle in the world which he found sorta cool.

Sarah Walker wasn't even her real name, just the one that she used the most. He promised himself that he'd ask her, the next time he saw her, which name she preferred. He thought again about calling her but decided that he needed to talk to Ellie first before he said anything else to Agent Sarah Walker…and that should be a real fun conversation he told himself, already beginning to dread dinner that night. Looking up he saw Morgan making his way towards him, a look of wonder on his face.

"Chuck…who was the hottie? Did I see her leave you one of her cards? Have you called her yet? Want me to call for you? What's her name? Has she got a friend? Dude, you gotta hook me up if she does? Well, Chuck, call her and find out. You want me to call her for you?…"

"Morgan…calm down…please. I promise to tell you all about her…tomorrow."

"Ok, dude…just remember…if she has a hot friend, you have to hook me up…"

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Chuck Bartowski glanced at his watch…again. It was getting close to noon and he had promised himself that he'd check out the deli that had been staring at him from across the parking lot for the last three years. He'd heard great things about the quality of the food and he was actually feeling a little adventurous so he'd decided that today was the day that Lou's would have it's way with him. Getting to his feet, he turned around and made sure that everything was put into it's normal place before he'd tale his lunch break. Once he'd finished his check list, he turned back around, ready to head out for lunch and froze. Agent Sarah Walker was standing in front of him and she wasn't smiling. She held out her hand towards him, a cel-phone resting in her palm.

"Excuse me, sir. I was hoping you might have time to take a look at my phone" Sarah said, her hand still hold out towards Chuck.

"Is there something wrong?…what exactly is your phone doing…or not doing…if I may ask" Chuck asked with a slight smile.

"Well, I think it may be broken because it doesn't seem to be able to receive calls…"

"Oh really?" he asked, remembering his conversation with her just yesterday.

"Yeah…you see, I just moved here and I left you my number but I haven't gotten a call from you so…"

Chuck heard the sound of Morgan's snort behind him. "Oh really? Wow, and here I was just getting ready to call you and ask you to lunch" Chuck replied, the smile on his face getting a bit larger.

"Really?…you were going to call me and ask me to lunch?" Sarah responded with a bit of confusion in her voice.

"No…not really" Chuck answered truthfully and was a little surprised by the sudden and honest look of disappointment that appeared on Sarah's face. "I was going to call and inform you that Ellie has requested your company at dinner tonight…but since you showed up, I guess I could take you to lunch and ask you there…if you haven't already eaten lunch, that is" he noted the return of the small smile and had to admit to himself that is she was acting, she was very good.

"That actually sounds great…you taking me to lunch so you can invite me to dinner. When did you want to do this? And where?"

"Well, uh, right now…and I thought we'd go there…" he replied as he pointed out the front window towards the far side of the parking lot. "…our first destination on the 'Chuck Bartowski Nickel Tour of Burbank' he finished as he held his palm out.

Catching on, Sarah dug into her purse and pulled out a nickel and put it into Chuck's out held palm. "There you go, sir. When does the tour start?"

"Well, since you've paid the admission price…" he said as he pretended to inspect the coin before slipping it into his pocket, "…I guess we can get started right now." Stepping around from behind the counter, he paused and waited until Sarah had walked to his side at which point he headed towards the front door leaving a disbelieving Morgan Grimes string after the pair as they exited the building.

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Agent Sarah Walker stood just inside the courtyard of the apartment complex where Charles Irving Bartowski lived with his sister, Eleanor Faye Bartowski and her boyfriend, Devon Woodcombe. The fountain was quietly gurgling away and paused to watch it before resuming her footsteps towards the apartment she'd been 'invited' for dinner. Chuck had explained to her, while they'd enjoyed their lunch, that his sister wanted to meet her and the invitation wasn't really optional…not if she wanted to spend anytime with him. And, if Sarah was honest with herself, she actually did want to spend time with Chuck…and not just because her bosses wanted her to. Since the first day she'd walked into the Buymore and looked into his eyes, Sarah had found herself thinking about him more than she cared to admit. Reaching the apartment door Sarah was about to knock when the door swung open and she found herself staring into the not very happy looking eyes of Chuck's sister.

"So…you're the spy trash who's come looking for that crap that Bryce gave to my little brother? How very nice to meet you, Agent Walker" the woman said, making it very clear that she found it anything but 'nice' to meet her. "Come on in…I guess we can talk while we have some dinner…and then you'll tell us if you're going to kill my little brother after you've used him up…so, that sounds like a great evening…come in, come in…"

A/N 2: Any ideas for an actual title are welcome…as are reviews. JT


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So, there I was, comp book open, pen flying when it happened…another idea and BAM…back again. Swimmer would have to wait just a little bit longer…hey, six pages ready with more coming soon…probably by the weekend along with some more return from…this little bugger just begged me and , being the weak-willed, two-fingered typist that I am…I caved…so, here it is…more of my stuff. Haven't changed the title yet but I've had a couple of good suggestions…and one truly horrible one…Prince Boo Boo 2- Electric Buggaloo just ain't gonna fly…sorry.

I have to admit that I don't, in fact, own Chuck. No matter what someone may have said, I never tried to use the old 'yeah, I own Chuck' pick up line.(I stick to the classics…'excuse me miss, does this rag smell like chloroform). I also have been operating without a beta…I know, hard to believe, right(yes, I've come to realize that I may have let myself over use ellipsis but, I swear, I'm trying to cut down).

Jim, thanks for the nudge. Still having fun(and learning, thanks Frea). JT

Bryce Larkin - Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 3

Agent Sarah Walker wasn't sure what to do. She stood just outside of the open doorway, wondering just what awaited her inside. The smell of food seemed to curl its way into her nose and plant hooks that were attempting to pull her into the apartment. She was sure that if she gave in, the delicious aroma would envelope her and she'd simply float through the door. Just as she was about to see if her theory would actually work, the glare that Ellie Bartowski had been wearing since opening the door cut through the food fog and brought her crashing back down to earth, leaving her feeling something she hadn't felt in years…fear.

Not knowing what to do, she tried to offer a friendly smile which she was sure probably looked like a grimace. "Hi…um…my name is …"

"Yeah, I know. Agent Sarah Walker. I thought I'd already gone over that. Well, don't just stand there, come in." Ellie said as she turned her back and walked back into the apartment.

Sarah knew she needed to move her feet in order to follow the brunette's less than cordial invitation but she was seriously considering just turning tale and running, telling herself that she could always talk to Chuck and his sister the next day and ,spy craft be damned, make sure they were in a public place with lots of witnesses. She had almost convinced herself of the wisdom of her plan when the reason for her visit appeared in the doorway, a smile on his face and an apron hanging from his neck. She smiled and almost laughed out loud when she read the apron's message. _DON'T KISS THE CHEF…HE MIGHT FAINT! _

Seeing the smile on her face and guessing at the cause, Chuck cut loose with a huge smile of his own. "Yeah, my sister the comedian. She seems to take great pleasure in teasing me about my near terminal shyness."

Sarah couldn't stop it and a giggle escaped her mouth followed by a snort. She clamped her hands over her mouth in an attempt to prevent any more sounds of mirth from escaping just as Chuck started laughing. She could feel the smile behind her hands as the man in front of her continued to laugh, his eyes clearly showing just how funny he seemed to find her amusement and subsequent attempt to hide it. She wanted to drop her hands and join him in the laughter but just couldn't bring herself to let go, knowing that she had to somehow regain her practiced cool and detached demeanor. Feeling that she'd regained her self control, she dropped her hands and slowly stepped into the apartment while Chuck just stepped back and continued to laugh.

"It wasn't that funny, Mr. Bartowski" she said, trying to sound like a professional. She immediately regretted her choice of words when the smile seemed to vanish from Chuck's face and , if she was honest with herself, she really liked that smile.

"My mistake, Agent Walker, it won't happen again" he said, the suddenly serious look on his face leaving her confused and before she could figure out what to say that would make things light again, Chuck had turned and wandered back into the apartment. "Please, close the door behind you, Agent Walker. Oh, and make sure you wipe your shoes off before you come in…Ellie will yell at you if you track anything into Casa Bartowski." he called back over his shoulder before disappearing from sight around a corner.

Sarah, after making sure that she wiped her shoes thoroughly, stepped into the apartment and briefly considered following Chuck into the kitchen but then realized that she didn't want to willingly put herself into a small area with both of the Bartowskis, especially when at least one of them wouldn't mind if she simply disappeared. Closing the door, she unconsciously engaged both of the locks and then turned to survey the room. Before taking another step, her training told her where every piece of furniture sat in relation to every other piece. She could've closed her eyes and made her way around the entire room without bumping into anything.

Making her way over to the entertainment center, she was looking at the framed photographs when she felt the sudden presence of another person in the room. Turning around, she found herself exchanging looks with a tall, blonde haired man who stood across the room, his shirtless chest in the process of being covered with a blue scrub shirt. A few days before, Sarah would have enjoyed the view but for some reason that she hadn't been able to put her finger on, the only man in the apartment who held any interest for her was currently out of sight.

"Hi, I'm Devon" the man announced as he extended a hand towards Sarah. She took the hand and gave a firm shake before letting go and stepping back a couple of paces. "You must be Agent Walker. Sorry that I have to work tonight and can't stay for dinner. The food smells awesome but Ellie found me an extra shift and I'm pretty good at taking one of her hints."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Devon. My name is Sarah. Do you work at the same hospital as Ellie?" she asked, trying to make the conversation seem as normal as possible.

"Please, Agent Walker. If you're as good as Chuckles says you are, don't insult my intelligence by pretending that you don't know where I work." he replied, becoming the third person that night who'd taken a sudden frosty tone with her. Not giving her a chance to answer, Devon turned and moments later he was heading out the front door.

Sarah was still staring at the front door, wondering if the night could possibly get any worse when Chuck's voice called her, asking if she'd like something to drink. Agreeing to the offer of a beer, she cautiously made her way towards where she was sure she'd find the kitchen. She stopped in the doorway and found herself watching as Chuck bent over and seemed to search around in the refrigerator for a few moments before straightening back up with two beers in his hand. Catching herself staring at his ass, she looked up and found Ellie staring at her, a knowing look on her face. She felt the blush start and then something really unexpected happened…Ellie Bartowski smiled at her. It was a small smile and it seemed to vanish as quickly as it appeared, but it was a smile.

"Agent Walker" Chuck said as he held a beer towards her, "I hope that Sam Adams is ok. We don't have any of that imported stuff."

Taking the beer, Sarah offered a smile. "Please, Chuck, call me Sarah…and you too, Ellie. If you're going to share such delicious smelling food with me, I really wish you'd drop the 'Agent' thing. At least for tonight, if that's ok."

"Ok, Sarah" Chuck answered before taking a pull from his beer.

"So, Sarah, since we're dropping the whole 'agent' thing, does that mean we don't have to worry about you killing us…tonight?" Ellie asked, still busy at the stove.

"Sarah, I'm sorry for the way my sister's acting"

"No you don't , Charles Bartowski. You will not apologize for me." Ellie said as she turned and stared at the blonde woman who was standing in her kitchen. "Have you forgotten what you told me last night? About all of the things that she's done for the greater good? About all of the people she's killed…for the greater good? About the people she's tortured and the families she's ripped apart…for the greater good? About all of the guys she's fucked…for the greater good?"

"ELLIE!" Chuck yelled in disapproval at the same time as the beer bottle in Sarah Walker's hand slipped from her suddenly numb fingers and fell towards the kitchen floor. Moving with unbelievable speed, Chuck's whole body twisted and his hand shot out, snagging the bottle before it could shatter against the floor. Finishing what looked like a well choreographed and practiced series of moves, he was left standing very close to blonde who'd just dropped the beer, the bottle balanced on the back of his hand.

Sarah shook her head in disbelief, the speed and fluid grace that had just been displayed reminding her of an ancient master she'd studied under, years before. As she tried to name the different styles she'd seen used, she remembered what Ellie had said about her and, before he could see the stricken look on her face, she mumbled a quick apology and turned towards the front door. She had the door knob in her hand and was ready to pull the door open when she felt an unexpected grip on her shoulder. Whirling, she'd already launched her punch before it's destination registered on her.

Chuck knew he'd made a mistake as soon as his hand landed on her shoulder and he could only watch as her fist flew towards his face. He could've used the programs he'd pulled up but the block also ran the risk of harming his opponent so he simply allowed the punch through, hoping that somehow he'd be able to roll with it. He also hoped that Sarah might realize who she was facing and pull her punch. He was sure he'd managed to succeed when the lights suddenly went out.

Sarah couldn't believe what had just happened. Chuck had grabbed her shoulder and she spun, instinctively, and knocked him out. Despite trying to pull the punch, she still felt her fist as it connected with Chuck's mouth and she'd watched as he fell, seemingly in slow motion. She taken a step towards him and then caught sight of the split lip and the blood that was already beginning to drip down the side of his cheek. She noted the steady rise and fall of his chest and was about to kneel down next to him when she remembered what Ellie had said about her. She couldn't argue the truthfulness of what had been said, she could even understand Chuck telling his sister about some of her history but what shocked her had been the way Ellie had thrown her past actions back into her face. Ellie had driven it all home when she'd all but called her whore. She felt the bottle slip through her fingers and Chuck had suddenly moved to catch it and, in doing so, distracted her from the shock that Ellie had caused. She'd shaken off the distraction and bolted for the door, not wanting to have to look into Chuck's eyes. Chuck had caught up to her and that had lead to her current situation.

She heard Ellie call for Chuck and she panicked because she just wasn't ready to deal with Ellie who was sure to be royally pissed that she'd dare lay her hand on Chuck. She'd turned and practically run out the door. Once outside, she'd slowed and then stopped when she reached the fountain. She sat on the fountain's edge and let everything catch up. Thinking back to the final thing Ellie had said about her, she found her eyesight was suddenly blurred with unshed tears and she felt something about her job she'd never felt before…she felt dirty.

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The first thing that Chuck realized once he'd struggled back to consciousness was that he was no longer vertical. Opening his eyes, his first sight was his sister's face hovering above his own, the look of concern plain to see. The pain was the next thing he noticed and that, along with the coppery taste in his mouth, told him that he'd been unsuccessful in rolling with the punch that he'd seen coming his way. As he moved to sit up, his sister backed away but stayed close enough, just in case she felt he needed any help. Once he was sitting up, he raised a hand to his mouth to survey the damage. The split in his lip was very tender and when he drew his hand away, the sight of blood told him that the injury was still fresh so he knew he hadn't been out for very long.

"Sarah?" he managed to mumble out.

"She's gone, Chuck. She hauled ass as soon as she made sure you weren't dead. By the time I got out here from the kitchen, she was gone. I told you we couldn't trust her. Good riddance, I say."

"Ellie, this was my fault" he said as he pointed towards his split lip. "I could have blocked the blow but I refused to take the risk of injuring her. I used the intersect and had the options but I just let her punch through, hoping I'd be able to roll with it…I wasn't able to. I saw the look on her face after you said what you said. She was crushed, Ellie. Told you all of that hoping that you'd understand that Sarah sees things a lot differently than you or I and now I regret it. You really crushed her.

"Chuck, she's a spy. She came here looking for that piece of shit, Bryce Larkin and what he stole but she didn't come here unprepared. You said it yourself, you, and by extension, I have been under observation ever since you aced that image retention test at Stanford. If Bryce hadn't gotten you kicked out, who knows where you'd be today. That's one thing I'm actually willing to thank that douche bag for, if I ever see him again. Now, come with me to the bathroom so I can clean that lip up for you."

Knowing that he would never win an argument with Ellie about Bryce, he decided to just let it go. As he got to his feet he happened to glance out the front window and caught sight of Sarah sitting on the fountains edge, looking lost. He paused and Ellie noticed what had captured his attention.

"You know that she's probably just playing you, don't you?"

"Yeah, El, there is that possibility…"

"But you're gonna go out there and talk to her anyway, aren't you?"

"El, you didn't see her eyes when you said that last thing. If she was acting, she really is an amazing actress."

"At least let me get you some ice for that lip before you go out there and stick your head in that noose." Ellie said as she walked back to the kitchen. Returning a couple of minutes later, she sat down next to her brother and softly put the moist rag to his lip. "Chuck, just so you know, I took that image retention test you downloaded a few days ago and I scored a 96, just like you baby brother. If she hurts you, I'll upload that garbage and use it to tear her world down. I just thought you should know that."

"Ellie, where would you get a copy of the Intersect program?" Chuck asked, afraid of the answer.

"That first night? When you were passed out? I backed up whatever it was you had been working on with your computer. I've got it stashed away, someplace safe. We're all that we have left of our family and if you think I'll let anybody hurt you…well, you should know me better than that." Ellie could see the wheels turning in her brother's head. "Don't bother, Chuck. I'm not going to tell you where I hid it so don't even bother asking."

"Ellie, do you have any idea how dangerous it is for you to…" Chuck ground to a stop when he realized that he wasn't telling his sister anything that she didn't already know. "Ok, El, I'm not going to ask. Please, just be careful. I'm not going to say anything to Sarah and I think that you might want to avoid doing that as well…Ok?"

"Ok…for now. Just remember, if she hurts you, I'm going to stop acting as nice as I've been acting." getting to her feet, she grabbed her brother's arm and aimed him towards the front door. "Go talk to 'actress'. I'll leave some food in the oven for you, just in case you want to invite her back in. I'm going to wrap up a plate and take it to Devon so you'll have the apartment to yourself…just be careful."

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Sarah looked up at the sound of the apartment door opening. She watched as Chuck walked towards her, his hand holding a cloth to his lip. She didn't say a word when he motioned to the spot next to her, just nodded her head and watched as he took a seat next to her.

"I'm so sorry, Chuck" she whispered, "I didn't mean to hit you…you just surprised me. I was trying to get out of there and when you grabbed my shoulder, I just reacted on instinct."

"I know, Sarah. It's alright. It was my fault. I know all about your training, I just forgot and when you swung, I let it go. I do wish you pulled back a little, though."

"I did" she answered in a soft voice.

"Ok, well, remind me to never piss you off. Also, I'm sorry for what Ellie said. I want you to know that I only told her about your past missions to try and make her understand what you've had to go through. I never meant for her to use that information to hurt you."

"Chuck, just how much do you know about me and how did you make that bottle save in the kitchen and how…"

"Sarah? Slow down. If you'll come back inside with me and have some dinner, I'll answer any question that I can. Sound good?"

"But Ellie…"

"Is leaving to take some dinner to Devon, we'll have the apartment to ourselves, at least for a little while. So, what do you say…dinner and then some answers?"

Sarah looked into his eyes and then looked at the split on his lip. "Ok…if you'll let me clean up that cut for you…and if you promise that your sister hasn't left booby traps for me all over the apartment."

Getting to his feet, he held out his hand and waited until Sarah had taken it and pulled herself to her feet. He offered his arm and she took it, allowing him to lead her towards the apartment. He paused after opening the door and turned to look into the blue eyes that he was fast becoming attached to. "First, I'll let you play nurse, after that, we'll have some really great dinner." He paused before giving her a wink, " Sorry…I can't promise anything about booby traps. Maybe you'll just have to follow me very closely." he added before turning around and heading towards the kitchen. Sarah caught herself glancing at his ass before giving her head a soft shake and moving to follow him.

"I'll be happy to follow you" she said with a smile, realizing that she meant it…and not just because Chuck Bartowski had great ass. That was just an added bonus.

A/N2(Electric Buggaloo) : Because I avoided begging for reviews above, I've decided to do it here. Please review…and I'm still accepting title suggestions. JT


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hello peeps...since more than two of you asked about the dinner, and since I got 1 swimmer and 1 TRFW done...I figured, what the heck...hope it's ok for you...I'm a little behind on my usual reponse to reviews and for that I must apologize...I'll try to catch up, really...I really do enjoy reviews(good or bad, you know that) so please don't take my slow response time for anything more than what it is...my recent bout of writing+a lot of heat(110 heat index)+ my own laziness(read it as quirky and endearing character flaw)...thanks to everyone who offered possible alternate titles...most of them were much better than my own and I'm mulling them over...really, I am...hey tw200, thanks...PBB, really, was it necessary to email me those photos?I really don't share your fascination with toes...and you, little one across the pond,sounds like more sleep is needed...i await your reviews...and title suggestions...and any general ole emails. JT

No beta, you betta. Don't own Chuck or anything else that even borders on fame. Not making money on this and the damn Nigerian prince won't take my call about the money he promised me...after I sent him that check...I just don't understand.

Jim, thanks for the nudge.

**Bryce Karkin - Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 4**

As soon as Sarah stepped back into Casa Bartowski, the heavenly smell of food nearly overwhelmed her, again. Remembering the warning from earlier, she paused and made sure that she wasn't tracking any dirt into Ellie Bartowski's home. She toyed with the idea of just kicking her shoes off and when she looked up, she found Chuck smiling at her.

"Feel free. I promise not to say anything if you take your footwear off…unless you're wearing really ugly socks and if that happens to be the case, and then all bets are off." Chuck said with a smile and knowing look.

"How did you know I was thinking about…does that thing…" she said as she pointed towards his head, "…allow you to read minds?"

"Of course it does, Agent Walker. How else would I know you were staring at my ass when I was trying to find you a beer?" he answered with a straight face.

"You know about me staring at your ass?" she asked, seemingly more concerned with her 'ass staring' than the whole 'read minds' thing. She felt the blush starting to rise and then noticed that Chuck seemed to be choking. No, she corrected herself, he wasn't choking, he was struggling to hide the fact that he was laughing at her. "Would you mind sharing with me just what you find so amusing?" she said. She heard herself and couldn't decide why she sounded so pissed. Was it because Chuck could read her mind? That wouldn't explain his laughter. Was it because he'd called her 'Agent Walker'? Once again, that wouldn't explain the laughter. Was it because he knew that she'd been staring at his ass…and she'd just been tricked into admitting it? Yep, that was it. 'Of course he can't read minds' she told herself. She tried her best glare and that just seemed to make Chuck's struggle to hide his laughter even harder. Not knowing what to do, she simply gave in and allowed herself a small smile. "Busted" she admitted, at which point her companion dropped all pretense of control and burst out laughing which stopped almost immediately when his split lip sent him a cease and desist order.

"Ow" he said as he realized that smiling wasn't the best thing to do with a split lip. "I guess I shouldn't smile for the rest of the night." He saw the look of concern and guilt that suddenly appeared on Sarah's face when he raised the damp cloth to his mouth.

"Which way to your bathroom?" Sarah asked as she reached out and grabbed his hand. Following his eyes, she set off down the hallway, dragging him along behind her. Once she'd found her way to the bathroom and after dragging Chuck in behind her, she closed the toilet lid and motioned for him to sit down. After taking the damp rag from his hand and rinsing it under the tap, she wrung it out and gently placed it against the injured lip while she used her other hand to open the medicine cabinet. After a few moments inspection, she pulled out a small tube of some type of 'lip therapy' product. "Hold the rag , please" she said and after he'd taken over the rag control, she un-capped the tube and squeezed a very small amount out onto her finger tip. "Drop it" she instructed and once it was out of her way, she proceeded to, very gently, apply the 'lip therapy' to the split lip.

Chuck was at a complete loss for words. He was staring into the most dazzling pair of blue eyes he'd ever seen and the woman who belonged to those eyes was, at that very moment, gently rubbing her finger on his lip. Her touch seemed feather-light and left behind it a fiery trail that seemed to erase all other feelings. He knew his lip should hurt but the pain seemed to vanish in the wake of Sarah Walker's fingertip. Far too soon, as far as he was concerned, Sarah withdrew her hand, stepping back and returning the small tube to it's place in the medicine cabinet. He didn't know what to feel when she turned and exited the room, disappearing back the way they'd come. He was still sitting in the same spot, with his own fingertip retracing the trail that she hers had followed just moments before when she reappeared with a questioning look on her face.

"Is everything ok, Chuck?"

"What?...oh, yeah. Everything's fine. I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Agent Walker. I promised you dinner and that's what you're going to get" Chuck said as he dropped his finger and got to his feet. "This way" he said as he left the bathroom and took the lead. "Now, if you don't mind, how about giving me a hand in the kitchen, Agent Walker."

Once they'd arrived in the kitchen, Chuck had gone about getting out plates and silverware and sitting them on the counter. Grabbing the mitts, he removed the casserole dish from the oven and gently paled it on top of the stove. Turning back to catch Sarah's eyes on him, he motioned towards the drawer next to her. "Wanna grab a big spoon for me?" Once she'd handed him the requested implement, he nodded towards the refrigerator. "How about you grab us a couple of cold beers and the salad. I'll take care of the hot stuff and meet you at the dinning room table? Don't worry, I'm not using the refrigerator as an excuse to get even with you for staring at my butt" he finished with a smile before turning around and starting to fill the plates that were sitting in front of him.

'You can if you want' she almost said. She opened the door and was glad for the blast of cool air that struck her in the face because, the thought of what Chuck had just joked about doing had suddenly gotten her a little hot. She grabbed the salad and then reached for the beers that she'd seen on one of the lower shelves, making sure that she bent over at just the right angle, just in case Chuck actually did decide to notice her ass. Giving it just a few extra moments, she straightened back up and turned around, actually feeling a little disappointed that she hadn't caught him looking. She left the kitchen and found her way to the dining room where she placed the salad bowl in the middle of the small table. Choosing the chair with the most commanding view of the front door, Sarah was about to sit down when Chuck appeared with two plates balanced on one arm and a hand full of silverware. After giving him a hand, they sat down and began their meal.

Chuck deliberately kept the conversation light and Sarah decided that she shouldn't push things, even though there were a lot of things that she needed to know. Glancing down at her watch, she realized that an hour had passed and she couldn't remember what they'd actually talked about, just that she felt more relaxed than she had in years. She couldn't put her finger on it but there was something about Chuck Bartowski that just seemed to put her at ease. Chuck had excused himself and then returned with two Klondike bars and after Sarah had taken the one offered her, he sat back down.

"So, Agent Walker…"

"Please, Chuck, call me Sarah" she'd responded with a smile.

"Ok, Sarah. I guess you have a question or two, and I did promise you some answers if you joined me for dinner, so, ask away."

Sarah sat silently for a few moments, trying to decide which question was the most important. "How did you know I had been staring at your ass?"

Chuck was sure that he could've been knocked over with a feather at that particular moment. "What? That's the question that you decide to lead with? Not, 'did you upload the intersect?' or 'why didn't the upload kill you like all the others?' or even, 'do you know where Bryce Larkin is?'…you want to know how I knew you'd been checking out my butt?"

Sarah couldn't help the blush that she felt creeping up her neck. She suddenly realized that she'd blushed more tonight than she had in years and the cause of that was sitting across the table from her. Sure, all of the questions that he'd rattled of where valid and important but they weren't the first thing she wanted an answer to. In fact, if she was honest with herself, she'd gone with her second question. When Chuck had given her permission to ask questions, she noticed that he was still wearing that silly apron and she wanted to ask if he really would faint if kissed. Actually, she hadn't so much wanted to ask if he'd faint as she'd wanted to just kiss him to see if he'd faint. Lacking the courage to get up and walk around the table and through herself into his lap, she'd gone with her second question. "Um…yes?"

Chuck shook his head and tried not to laugh. "The freezer door. It's very shiny and I saw you. At first I wasn't sure but you really took your time. Next?"

Sarah smiled at the answer. "Alright, now that I've got the 'important' stuff out of the way" she said and smiled when she saw Chuck do the same. "Since you brought them up, let's go with…did you upload the intersect? Why aren't you dead? And last and, as far as I'm concerned, least…do you know where Bryce Larkin is?"

"Ah, that's more like it" Chuck said as he finished off the last of his Klondike bar. "Yes, I uploaded the Intersect, although to be honest, if I'd known then what I know now, I may have decided against it. The reason that it didn't kill me is because my dad designed…"

"What, wait a minute. Your dad designed the intersect? I don't understand…"

"Yeah, it seems that my dad was the main designer behind the Intersect. He originally hoped that his program would be a help to mankind and maybe, if the government hadn't co-opted his research, it might have. He made the mistake of working with some other scientists who only wanted to use the Intersect as a weapon…of sorts. When he realized what they were hoping to do, he walked away. Of course, the government doesn't 'allow' people to walk away from things that are deemed of such vital importance to the 'greater good' so my father had to disappear. He took what he could and vanished. Unfortunately, that didn't include his children."

Sarah suddenly realized what Chuck was saying. The people she worked for were indirectly responsible for his dad abandoning his sister and him. She looked into his eyes but just didn't know what she could say.

"As for the reason it didn't kill me like all of those 'volunteers', and just so you know, out of the hundreds who got the upload, less than a dozen, who actually knew the risks, volunteered…well, the reason it didn't kill me is because of my 'image retention rate'. My dad was the first to realize that the intersect would require people with an amazingly high image retention rate. The government used his research and devised a test that would point them towards people who might be able to handle the intersect. Lucky me, I tested higher than anyone else. It seems that a college professor of mine was also recruiting for the CIA."

"Chuck, I don't understand. If you tested so high, why didn't The CIA recruit you?"

"Because someone falsified my test data. They made it look like I was close to what was needed but not close enough. They also falsified their own test scores, hoping to be chosen for the upload. Wanna guess who the douche bag was ?"

"Bryce?"

Yeah, Bryce Larkin. After changing around our scores, he thought he was set until his bosses demanded a second test and he didn't score as well as his first test seemed to indicate. A third test left the powers that be with the impression that the first test had been a fluke and nothing more was done. They turned Bryce down, told him he'd make a great field agent but that was it. He seemed to take it well, went back to school to finish and when he got back to Stanford …'

"I know. That's when he…"

"Yeah."

"Well at least he kept you out of the CIA."

"Oh goodie. He also framed me for cheating, got me kicked out of Stanford and then fucked the woman I was going to propose to so forgive me if I fail to see the 'glass half full' side of this. So, in the form of a round-about answer, I don't know where Bryce is and I'm actually sorta glad about that. Sorry if I can't help you find your ex, Agent Walker. I guess you'll just have to keep looking without my help."

Pushing himself back from the table, he stood and turned to go out to the kitchen, the dirty dishes in his hands, leaving a stunned Sarah Walker seated at the table.

While Chuck busied himself in the kitchen, Agent Sarah Walker sat at the table, wondering what her superiors would have her do next. She pulled her phone from her pocket and was about to make a phone call to Director Langstom Graham. While she thought about her next move, she heard Chuck returning from the kitchen. She had one last question for Chuck Bartowski and she really hoped he had the right answer.

"So, Agent Walker, what's next for you. Anyone else to talk to for help in finding your boy, Bryce?"

Agent Sarah Walker decided that now was the perfect time for her question.. She picked up the knife that was sitting on the table in front of her and before she could stop herself, she threw it at Charles Irving Bartowski. She regretted her decision the same second she made it and watched, helplessly, as the knife tumbled end over end towards Chuck's face and then suddenly, it was gone. She couldn't understand what had happened and when Chuck slowly raised his right hand and she saw the knife caught between the index and middle fingers, she couldn't believe her eyes but she had her answer. Looking from his hand back to his face, she was even more shocked by the look in his eyes. Pissed off, that she would have understood and expected. Confused and angry, yeah, that look would have worked as well but all she saw in his eyes was a look of disappointment and hurt…and that made no sense at all. Looking down at the phone in her hand, she tried to remember who she had been planning to call. When she looked back up. Chuck dropped the knife from between his fingers and after pulling out his own phone, he closed his eyes briefly before dialing a number and then putting his phone to his ear.

"Good evening , Director graham. This is Chuck Bartowski…no, I don't imagine you know who I am…well, we'll get to how I got your unlisted residential number in just a minute…You see, sir, I'm standing here with Agent Sarah Walker who just attempted to kill me by throwing a knife through my forehead…yes, you'd think so, but no…well, it seems that I might be just a little faster than her…no, of course I didn't injure her, what a horrible thing to think…no sir, I don't know why she attacked me this time…well, the first time was my fault and all she did was knock me out…no, the real reason for the call was to tell you that I have no idea where Bryce Larkin is…well, to be honest, I'm feeling a little tired so I will have Agent Walker call you…should I give her this number?...no?...ok…no, I really must insist that our conversation is over for tonight…yes it is, now, if I have the time, I'll call you tomorrow…don't worry, I have all of your numbers…oh, don't worry sir, I'm sure we will talk again…that's right…good night to you, sir." Chuck pulled the phone from his ear and hit the disconnect icon and then looked up to find Agent Sarah Walker staring at him, her mouth wide open in shock.

"What did you just do, Chuck?"

"What! Are you kidding me? You threw a knife at my face and you ask me why I called your boss?"

"I knew you'd catch it"

"You did?"

"Well, I was pretty sure…and you pissed me off with that crack. He's not my 'boy' Bryce"

Chuck closed his eyes briefly and Sarah suddenly had the feeling that she wouldn't like whatever Chuck was about to say. "Agent Walker, up until about three years ago, whenever you weren't, you know, for the greater good , you and Bryce seemed to 'practice' a lot. Your bosses knew about it and they've got reports and" Chuck paused and closed his eyes again, briefly, before opening them with a blush starting up his neck, "photos and videos, so excuse me for referring to him as your 'boy'…maybe I should have referred to him as your…" and Chuck suddenly shut up. He'd seen the same look on Sarah's face that his sister had caused earlier and he realized that he really didn't want to inflict that hurt again. He saw the tear start down her cheek and with four, quick steps, he pulled Agent Sarah Walker into a hug. He had considered the odds that she'd knock him out again but decided to risk it, and he was glad that he did. As soon as his arms were around her, Sarah seemed to loose all of her strength and he found himself holding her upright while she sobbed onto his chest. 'What the hell' he asked himself, 'is super spy Sarah Walker doing crying in my arms? And what do I do now?'

Chuck had lost track of time and he looked up when he heard the front door opening. He watched as Ellie stepped in and then turned to close the door behind her. Turning back around she realized that Chuck was standing near the kitchen table with Agent Sarah Walker in his arms. She stepped closer and realized that the woman's shoulders were shaking slightly and when she made eye contact with her brother and saw the confusion in his eyes, she knew that the woman definitely wasn't shaking with silent laughter. Sarah chose that moment to become aware of her surroundings and her head lifted from Chuck's chest. Ellie immediately regretted the things she'd said earlier when she saw the despair in the other woman's eyes. Walking over, she peel her away from Chuck and hauled her towards the bathroom. Looking back over her shoulder, she shared a brief look with her brother that told him that she'd take over for a few minutes and that he should make some tea for them, that she'd call when they were ready. He waited until the bathroom door closed and then he went to the kitchen to make some tea.

A/N: 22( A/N:'s 2 through 21 for those with ESP...you know who you are) Please review.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Hi everyone, back with some more of everyone's favorite title…it's not…maybe I should change it but I still smile when I see it so …maybe soon. Still mulling over a couple of the ideas that have been offered…have passed on **Prince Boo Boo's Guide to Majestic Toes**…it just makes no sense(and I'm getting sorta skeeved about all the photos he keeps sending)…Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to review…I really do appreciate them…I'll get caught up in responding to the reviews soon…more Swimmer and TRFW soon…and Last(ish)…A very big thank you to Frea for the tip…I'm trying…except in my rambles…they're just chock full of you know what's. JY

No beta…all errors are mine and just having them takes that whole 'being perfect' burden from my shoulders. Another neat fact…I don't own Chuck or anything in the 'Chuckverse'. Also, I'm still failing, miserably, to make any money doing this…guess it's a good thing that I really am having fun doing this!

Jim, thanks for the nudge.

**Bryce Larkin - Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 5**

Chuck found himself checking his watch for what he was sure was the thousandth time since his sister had pulled Agent Sarah Walker back to the bathroom and, even though it seemed like much longer, the two women had only been gone for about thirty minutes. He'd been concerned when, five minutes after they'd disappeared, he'd heard a resounding slap from the direction of the bathroom and he'd hurried down the hall to investigate. He had been reaching for the doorknob when his sister had called out, telling him to go back to the kitchen, that they were fine. His hand had still been hovering by the doorknob when Ellie had asked if her kitchen was as clean as she liked it and, when he'd answered no, she had told him that it better be clean when she got finished with the talk she was having.

The sound of the tea kettle whistling got his attention and he put the last plate away and crossed to the stove, turning off the burner and moving the kettle to an un-occupied burner. He looked up to find his sister standing in the doorway with a odd look on her face. Turning back around, he opened a cabinet and pulled out a couple of mugs and went back to the stove.

"Earl Grey?" he asked as he started filling the mugs with hot water. Ellie didn't say a word as she moved to stand next to him while she reached into a lidded jar and pulled out a couple of tea bags. Reaching across in front of him, she dropped a bag into each mug before stepping back and then walking out into the dining room. Chuck, following her example and carrying the two mugs, joined her at the table and after placing one of the mugs in front of her, took a seat across from her. Not knowing how to start this conversation, he waited while his sister stared into her mug.

"I told her that I needed to talk to you and she agreed to wait a few minutes before joining us. Plus, I'm pretty sure that she wanted to get cleaned up. Runny mascara and snot just isn't a good look, even for a super-spy." Ellie paused and gently lifted her mug to her lips and after blowing across the top, took a sip of tea. "Chuck, that woman is seriously messed up. She's either the best actress in the world or her childhood was really fucked up. Probably a mixture of both."

"El, why did you slap her?"

"That's what you're going to lead with? Not, 'El, did she say why she tried to kill me?' or 'El, do you think we're safe or is she going to kill us in our sleep?'. No, you want to know why I slapped her?"

"Well, yeah." he answered honestly.

"I slapped her when she told me that she through a knife at your face. I was afraid that she was gonna hit me back but she just stood there, almost as if she was waiting for me to hit her again…and, I almost did but she just looked so lost." Ellie waited for her brother to say something and couldn't believe it when he just sat there, seemingly lost in thought. "Chuck, she tried to kill you! Doesn't that worry you at all?" she asked in a raised voice, trying to get a response out of her little brother.

"El, I don't think she was trying to kill me because, let's face it, she has much more effective ways to do that…if she really wanted to. I think…well, I hope she was just trying to test the Intersect" he answered and then, when he saw the look on his sister's face, continued on, "I'll bet she hadn't planned on such an extreme test but I did sorta push her buttons about Bryce. She probably got really pissed and just 'lost it', a little bit."

"Chuck, are you listening to yourself? She just 'lost it a little bit'? You can't be serious. What happens the next time she decides to 'test' the intersect and she decides to use a gun? Can that thing in your head let you catch bullets? Don't you dare answer that or I swear I'm going to smack you." Ellie said as she raised one of her hands. "Go ahead, Chuck. Pick a side before you tell me you can catch bullets because you are going to get such a slap!"

"Ellie" Chuck said with a smile, "I'm pretty sure that I can't catch bullets and no, before you ask, I don't want to find out. What else did you talk about? Is there anything else that I need to know?"

"Well, that depends. Are you planning to tell her to get lost? To get the hell out of our lives?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"So does knowing that you were right, that she hadn't planned to throw the knife at your head, that she was just going to aim for your shoulder until you 'pushed' her buttons, does that change your mind? Does the fact that she seems to think that you're a 'great guy' change your mind? Does the fact that I caught her staring at your, and I'm quoting here, really nice ass, does that change your mind?"

"She thinks I have a 'nice ass'?"

"Chuck! Focus! What are you going to do?"

"I don't know, El. Even if I tell her to leave…and she does, they'll just send someone else. Maybe we should just get used to having her around, at least until we find out what the government is going to do."

"What exactly do you mean, 'what the government is going to do'?" she asked, a concerned look in her eyes. "What could the government do? We're citizens, we have rights."

"Ellie, along with some really cool 'kung fu' stuff, I have a whole lot of scary government secrets rattling around up here." he answered as he tapped his head with a finger. "I'm pretty sure that they don't want anyone else having access to them."

"Anyone else?"

"Yeah, El. Anyone who isn't the government and doesn't get along with the government, they would probably just 'love' to get a hold of me."

The sound of someone clearing their throat caught both of their attentions and they both turned to see Agent Sarah Walker standing just a few feet away. "I hate to say it, but Chuck's right. If you want, I'll leave but they'll just send someone else."

Ellie looked at her brother before turning back to the woman who stood with her shoulders slumped, looking like she was waiting for the siblings to pass judgment on her. "So, you're going to be a what?…a glorified baby-sitter?"

"If I stay, yes, I guess you could call it that…as long as the powers-that-be don't decide that Chuck would be 'safer' in a bunker somewhere…or…"

"Or what?" Ellie asked, suddenly afraid to hear what Sarah hadn't said.

"Or, they might decide that the safest thing would be to make sure that nobody can make use of what's in Chuck's head." Sarah spoke softly and then watched as the two people seated at the table seemed to communicate silently as they stared at each other. The 'talk' seemed to end and Ellie turned back to stare at her, the hatred seeming to radiate off of her in waves. Unsure what to do, she waited, her eyes now looking down at her feet. 'Ellie, it's not her fault' she heard Chuck say and when she looked up again, the elder Bartowski's 'glare of death' was gone, replaced with a look that seemed suspiciously like concern, which left her feeling confused.

Getting to his feet, Chuck motioned to the empty seat at the table, clearly offering it to Sarah. "So, Agent Walker, would you care for some tea?"

"No, thank you. I would, however, love another one of those beers, if that isn't too much to ask."

"That's not a problem. Why don't you sit down and I'll be right back." Chuck said as he made his way towards the kitchen. "I promise, Ellie won't bite."

Sarah took the offered chair and tried desperately to look at anything else besides Chuck's sister. When she finally made eye contact, she could see that there were a lot of questions that the older brunette was dying to ask. "Ok, go ahead and ask. If I can, I'll answer any questions that you have." Ellie's first question came from out of left field and hit her like a punch to the stomach.

"Why on earth would you go out with Bryce Larkin? I mean, I guess that he's good looking, but he's a total asshole…or is that the kind of guy you're into?"

Sarah felt Chuck's presence when he re-entered the dining room and offered a 'thank you' when he put the cold beer down next to her. She watched him sit back down and could tell by the look on his face that he was also interested in hearing the answer to his sister's question. "Bryce and I went through the 'farm' together and I thought he was a little bit arrogant but charming as well. I found out later that the arrogance wasn't an act but the whole being charming thing was. Unfortunately it took me two years to figure that out."

"Two years?" Ellie asked incredulously. "It took you two years to figure what a tool he was?"

"During those two years, we were on missions a lot so we didn't spend a lot of quality couples time together. About three years ago, I got back from a solo mission and walked into my apartment to find Bryce in bed with two young women who were fresh off the 'farm'. I walked out and that was the end of 'us'. I found out later he been bangin' anything he could."

"That sounds just like Bryce" Chuck offered with a hint of sadness in his voice. He closed his eyes briefly and when he re-opened them, there was a hint of a smile on his face. "It seems that he's been pulling 'fresh farm meat', as he liked to call it when he was bragging to anyone who would listen, since he finished school. In the last three years, he's been reprimanded four times, written up twice and been treated for STD's seven times."

Sarah almost spit out the mouthful of beer she just taken from the bottle in front of her. "Seven times?' she asked after finally getting the mouthful of beer down her throat. "All of that was in the intersect?"

"That…and more. I figured that was enough. If you really want I can tell you the rest."

"No, that won't be necessary. I'm guessing you 'checked' my files as well?" she asked, not really wanting to know just how much Chuck knew.

Chuck exchanged looks with his sister before turning back to look into Sarah's eyes. "I checked some of your files but I didn't go through all of them…"

"Just enough to find out just how big a 'whore' I was?" Sarah said softly, her eyes once again turned downwards.

"No, I just read enough to know what you had to do for the job. I didn't want to look at everything and once I came across the stuff about Bryce and you and I just couldn't help it. It made me so sad to see the way he'd treated you and if he was here right now, let's just say that it would be an unpleasant reunion."

"But you know everything there is to know about me and a lot of it isn't very nice."

I don't 'know everything' about you. I told you that I stopped reading after I saw the reports about you and Bryce. I'm sorry for that breach of your privacy and I promise I won't look at anything else unless I have your permission. You have my word on that."

"But you already know too much." Sarah replied and turned her eyes, once again, down to the table top. The two Bartowski's traded concerned looks and Ellie picked that moment to join the conversation. "Agent Walker…"

"Would you both please just call me Sarah. It seems that we're past the formality part of this…whatever this is." she said before signaling for Ellie to continue.

"Alright, Sarah, I know my brother. If he says he won't read anymore of your files without your permission, he means it. I know I said some mean things earlier…"Ellie paused briefly when she caught Chuck's eye roll, "…ok, really mean things, but I was pissed at you. And, I was scared for my little brother. He really is the sweetest guy and you, well, you aren't really all that sweet. Chuck doesn't see things the same way I do…at least, not most of the time."

"El! I'm not some naïve little kid. I know there are bad things in the world and thanks to Bryce's little 'gift', I'm even more aware of that fact. I'm just worried about what Sarah's bosses are going to do. Any ideas Sarah?" Chuck asked, obviously trying to change the focus of their conversation.

"I honestly don't have a clue. There is something I have to do first…before we start talking about what might happen, I have to tell you about what did happen, and why. When I threw that knife at you, I wasn't going to aim for your forehead but you said that stuff about Bryce and it, well, it pissed me off. I was pretty sure that you'd catch it…"

"Pretty sure?" Ellie blurted out, instantly on her feet and looking very unhappy. "Pretty Sure?"

"El, calm down. I think I need to hear this. I need to understand her thought process because I'd hate to have to worry about her throwing anymore knives at me." Chuck said as he stared at his sister, silently urging her to calm down and breathing a sigh of relief when she seemed to get herself back under control and then sit back down. "Sarah, you were saying?"

"Well" she started, watching Ellie from the corner of her eye, "remember when I dropped that beer earlier, and you did that series of 'movements' and ended up with the bottle balanced on the back of your hand? Well, I recognized most of those bits and pieces that you put together. They were taken from several far eastern fighting styles and the way that you seemed to blend them together with so little effort, well, it reminded me of an old master I studied with for several years."

"And?" Chuck asked, trying to follow what Sarah was saying.

'That knife catching thing? Master Cho could do it…and he could catch arrows and I even heard that he'd once caught a bullet. I recognized some of your moves as his and…"

Ellie was shaking with barely contained rage. "When we talked earlier, you told me you were sure that my little brother would catch the knife but you weren't completely sure, were you?" She hissed in a low voice. "WERE YOU?' she repeated, slapping the table top.

"I was 99 % sure and I had to know, Ellie. That test told me so much."

"Like what? Like , my little brother got lucky? That him mentioning Bryce Larkin threw you off your game and instead of a shoulder, you were aiming for Chuck's forehead? That despite all of your training, you weren't 100% sure and you risked my brother to test some theory so you could learn what, exactly?"

Sarah met Ellie's glare and prepared to give the only answer she could and she hoped that the answer would be enough. "I had to know if Chuck could defend himself from a trained attacker, if necessary. I could've attacked him and , maybe, he would've fought back…or, maybe, he would have just let me knock him out again. I had to know just how deep the Intersect's ability files went. I couldn't have caught that knife, Ellie, and I'm one of the CIA's best. I know now that, even if I can't be here to help, Chuck will be able to mount some type of defense…if he has to." She stopped speaking and looked at both of the people sated at the table with her. Chuck appeared to be lost in thought while his sister stared at the woman who'd been in their lives for less than forty-eight hours and already seemed to be on the verge of turning everything upside down.

Chuck broke the silence. "So, Sarah. Another beer? El, some more tea?"

Both women looked at him and then at each other, not sure how to respond. "Sure, I'll take another beer" Sarah answered first, a slight smile on her lips.

"No more tea, Chuck, better make it a vodka tonic" his sister answered after seeing Sarah reaction, "easy on the tonic."

Chuck grabbed his sister's tea cup and Sarah's empty beer bottle and then walked towards the kitchen. Ellie watched Sarah as she turned to watch her brother leave the room.

"Really? After dropping that 'bomb', you're back to staring at my brother's ass?"

Sarah turned back to look at Ellie, wondering what to say and then deciding to go with the truth. "Yeah, sorry. Staring again." she felt the blush rising up her neck and she caught herself smiling with the realization that she'd been blushing and smiling more in the last two days then she could ever remember doing before. "Ellie, I can't promise that I'll never lie to you again but I promise you that I'll do anything I can to keep you and Chuck safe. You have my word on that."

"And is staring at my brother's ass part of you keeping us safe?" Ellie asked, trying to keep a smile from working it's way to her lips.

"No, it isn't. I would have to call it a perk of the job…a job which I'm not even sure I have yet. Definitely a nice perk, though." she finished with a small smile.

Chuck picked that moment to re-appear, two beers in one hand and a tall glass in the other. "What's a 'nice perk'?" he asked, an innocent look on his face while he offered the drinks to the two women who sat staring at each other.

"Oh, nothing important" Ellie answered before taking a swallow from her glass.

"Yeah, nothing for you to worry about" Sarah added before tipping the beer to her lips and taking a gulp or two.

"Oh, ok. Well, what's next Sarah? Where do we go from here?" Chuck asked.

A/N: No, it's not really a cliffy. Reviews are the little smiles that are waiting to happen to me…even the negative ones. Hit that thingie and know that you're helping put a smile on my face…see, doesn't that make you feel better?…what?…No, I won't forward those pictures that P.B.B. keeps sending and that's final. JT


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Welcome to another fun filled installment…at least, I hope it is…I'm sure you'll let me know…got some more Swimmer and TRFW percolating…been a long hot week here…just saying…of course, if the writing seems horrible, insert that excuse here…remember, I'm always begging for attention and your reviews help fill that void…plus, they help me smile…they're even better than most of the meds I take…I'm just saying…started re-watching season 1 again last night…still fun…well, hope you all enjoy this chapter. JT

You are entering a 'beta-free' zone although **stn** is helping me become a better writer, after the fact and I really appreciate it. Also, should point out that I don't own or make any money from Chuck or anything in the 'Chuckverse'.

Jim, thanks for the nudge.

**Bryce Larkin - Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 6**

Chuck glanced down at his watch and was shocked to realize that it was almost mid-night. He couldn't remember exactly when but, sometime during the last couple of hours, Ellie had stopped trying to kill Sarah with her eyes. They'd been talking about what the immediate future held for Chuck and, despite his sister's skepticism, the beautiful blonde had been adamant that she would not let anything happen to him. He remembered smiling when Sarah had expressed her concern about how her boss would react to his phone call earlier in the night.

Looking at the empty beer bottle in front of him, he gotten up and headed towards the kitchen after asking if either of the two women wanted a fresh drink. Sarah had said yes to another beer while Ellie had announced that she needed to get some sleep and, after getting to her feet and telling Sarah 'goodnight', she'd followed Chuck from the room. Chuck had retrieved two beers from the refrigerator and turned to find his sister standing behind him.

"Chuck, please be careful. I still don't trust her. I know that she says she will keep you safe but I just don't trust her."

"I hear you, El. And, I'm pretty sure that she heard you as well."

"I hope she did, Chuck. I want you to remember what I told you…if she hurts you, I will tear her world down."

Putting the two un-opened beers down on the counter, he stepped over to his sister and pulled her into a hug. "I know, I know" he whispered into her ear, "I promise that I'll be careful" he added before releasing her and stepping back. "Goodnight, El. I'll make sure I clean up before I go to bed."

"She's had a few so don't let her drive home"

"I won't"

"Don't let her bat her eyes and you and then get behind the wheel. I'd hate for her to get in an accident and hurt someone else."

"Or herself' Chuck replied and waited.

"Yeah, I guess" she answered and then turned and left the kitchen.

Chuck watched her turn down the hall towards her room and then he grabbed the two beers from the counter and headed back to the dining room. After handing Sarah her beer and sitting back down, he found a set of keys sitting in front of him.

"I wouldn't want your sister any madder at me than she already is. She really hates me, doesn't she?"

"She doesn't hate you" Chuck answered with a smile. "It's just that we've been all the family each other had for a long time. She practically raised me so she can be a little over protective."

Sarah took a quick swallow from her beer. "A 'little over protective' Chuck? A momma grizzly can be a little over protective and I'm pretty sure the bear would say, 'damn, that woman sure is over protective'. I understand, I really do. "

Chuck couldn't help it. He started laughing and the beer he was in the process of swallowing decided that his nose was the perfect exit. Looking around for something to wipe up the beer, he noticed that Sarah had a huge smile on her face and it looked like she was struggling to keep from laughing out loud.

Oh, ha ha, very funny, Agent Walker" Chuck said , hoping the smile on his face would take any sting out of his use of her title. He watched her face and decided that he liked seeing Sarah Walker smile. After he'd wiped up the wayward beer, he reached for his beer. "Please, I'd like to actually swallow some beer this time so…no more jokes"

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Sarah glanced down at her watch and was shocked to discover that she and Chuck had been talking for almost two hours since Ellie had gone to bed. She couldn't recall exactly what they'd been talking about but she knew that she hadn't smiled this much in years. She realized that she'd had more to drink than she'd intended but the easy camaraderie had allowed her to ignore the slow buzz she'd been working on. She had kicked her shoes off earlier and had been tempted, more than once, to reach a foot across under the table and see if Chuck would jump when she started playing footsie.

Chuck had just returned from answering nature's call and sat back down at the table. Getting to her feet, she excused herself and wandered down the hall, intent on relieving the pressure on her bladder. Once finished, Sarah un-intentionally turned the wrong direction when she left the bathroom and almost immediately found herself standing in Chuck's room. Giving in to her curiosity, she slowly wandered around, looking at whatever happened to catch her attention. Taking note of a photo album on a shelf, she picked it up and then sat down on the edge of his bed. Deciding that it would be easier to look through the book if she stretched out, she swung her legs up onto the bed and lay back, looking forward to looking through the photos but the moment her touched the pillow, she was gone.

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It had been almost fifteen minutes and Chuck was beginning to wonder what had happened to Sarah. Deciding to make sure that she was ok, he got up and walked to the bathroom only to find it vacant. Looking around, he noticed the light on in his room and when he looked in, he was surprised to find the his guest stretched out, obviously asleep with a photo album resting on her stomach. Moving quietly, he went to the bed side and gently picked up the book. Making mp his mind to let Sarah sleep, he'd already returned the book to it's place on the shelf and was just about to leave when he happened to look back at the beauty sleeping on his bed. Unable to resist the temptation, he returned to the bedside and gently sat down. Reaching out, he pushed a lock of hair off of her forehead and then caught himself staring. Just as he was about to get back to his feet and head out to the living room to make use of the couch, Sarah rolled onto her side and reached out, wrapping an arm around his waist.

"Don't go. Stay" she mumbled when he tried to unwrap her arm, pulling herself closer and wrapping her arm even tighter around his middle.

"Alright, scootch over" he said softly, promising himself that when she didn't respond, he'd extricate himself from her grip and spend the night on the couch. To his surprise, Sarah loosened her grip and moved over, leaving enough room for him to stretch out. Shaking his head, he smiled to himself and after kicking his shoes off, he lay down. As soon as his head hit the pillow, his bedmate seemed to liquefy and flow over his side, molding herself to him. Her head made itself at home on his chest while her arm found it's way back around his waist. Finishing the process, she threw a leg over his and, after sighing twice, proceeded to wrap herself even tighter around him. He was sure that he'd never get to sleep and he was in the middle of deciding what to do when the sleep he was sure he would elude, caught him.

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Chuck slowly opened his eyes, wondering about the unfamiliar weight on his chest and the odd sensation he seemed to be feeling on his thigh. As he became more aware of his surroundings, he remembered falling asleep with Sarah Walker wrapped around him and realized that was the unfamiliar weight on his chest. With half of the mystery solved, he concentrated and was surprised when he recognized the mystery feeling that had awoken him…his bedmate was slowly grinding herself against his thigh. Suddenly wide awake, he noticed that Sarah's breathing was becoming rapid and shallow and when he looked down at her face, he was surprised to find her eyelids fluttering, indicating that she was having a dream. Completely unsure what to do because he'd never experienced something like this, he found himself becoming very aroused while Sarah began moaning softly. Before he could decide how to handle the situation, Sarah gasped out his name and just as her entire body seemed to go rigid, her eyes opened and looked directly into his.

"Chuck? What happened?" she gasped out as she looked around, clearly confused by her surroundings. Struggling to get her breathing under control, she seemed to realize what had happened and she started to blush and then tucked her face into Chuck's shirt. "Oh god, Chuck. I'm so sorry" she mumbled into his chest.

"About what, Sarah?" Chuck asked, still a little shocked and, if he was honest with himself, thrilled by what had happened. It had been his name she'd called and he really wanted to ask her about the dream but he just couldn't find the words. He stayed still, afraid to even breath deeply, just waiting for Sarah to decide which way to move. He watched as she slowly raised her head and met his eyes, the blush still coloring her face a deep red.

"Chuck. That's never happened to me before…I mean, not the way it just happened…I mean, not while I was dreaming like that…"

"Sarah, it's ok. I'm flattered because I can honestly say that was a first for me as well. So, what next?"

Lowering her head back onto his chest, she seemed to be thinking. "Uh, give me a minute or three."

"Take your time. Uh, Sarah? I was wondering, do I have to report this to your boss?" Chuck asked and smiled when her head suddenly popped up, a panicked look in her eyes that vanished as soon as she saw his smile. "Or, does the CIA have a secret HR department that I'll have to contact…" Chuck suddenly found Sarah's lips on his, effectively silencing him, mid-ramble and leaving him stunned for the second time that morning.

Breaking the kiss, Sarah dropped her face onto Chuck's chest again, wondering what the hell she'd just done. In the last twelve hours, she'd managed to break so many of her own rules that she didn't know where to begin the list. She began mentally ticking off her fingers. 'Find a mark's eyes dreamy-check, start thinking of the mark as something other than a mark-check, almost kill the mark/Chuck-check, bawl your eyes out in front of the mark/Chuck…and his sister-check, have too much too drink with the ma../Chuck-check, fall asleep/pass out in Chuck's arms-check, wake up after dry-humping your way to an orgasm on Chuck's thigh-oh yeah, check, decide to kiss Chuck to shut him up- check, starting wondering how Chuck ever learned to kiss like that-double check…'

"Sarah. Hey Sarah!" Chuck said as he snapped his fingers near her ear. "Earth to Sarah"

"Yeah…sorry Chuck. You were saying?"

"Uh, before you kissed me? Well, I was wondering what's next?"

"Listen Chuck, I'm sorry I kissed you. I shouldn't have and…" Sarah slowed to a halt when she noticed the smile leave Chuck's face only to be replaced with the same look he'd had when he'd called her Agent Walker…and meant it. "I'm not sorry I kissed you because I kissed you. The kiss was great. I'm sorry I kissed you because it just makes things tougher…it's just another thing on a list of things I regret doing…no, I don't regret doing them, I just regret that they're going to make my job a lot harder. I mean, I tried to kill you last night and this morning I'm humping your leg like some randy teenager…and that dream, oh god, that dream…you have no idea…I honestly don't remember the last time I had sex dream that intense…and that kiss…I shouldn't have kissed you but I thought it might shut you up and, well, I've wanted to kiss you since, well, since I met you at the Buymore…and that isn't a good thing…not the kiss, that was great but, the wanting to kiss you, that's…" and Sarah found herself cut-off, mid-ramble, when Chuck used her tactic from earlier to shut her up.

When they finally broke the kiss, the both were left nearly breathless and staring into each others eyes. "Why did you do that, Chuck?" Sarah asked while she added another tick to her list, 'wondering how I can get Chuck to kiss me again-big honking check'.

"Well, your were working into a really huge ramble and, as you demonstrated earlier, kissing seems to put the brakes to 'rambles', so I figured I'd give it a try…and it seems that you've found a really effective ramble road block and…" Chuck found himself, once again, on the receiving end of one of Sarah Walker's kisses and he couldn't think of anywhere he'd rather be. The beautiful owner of the lips that were currently parked on his own had moved herself and she was straddling his waist while one of his hands had found its way to her ass and the other was gently holding her neck, a thumb gently stoking her ear. Just as he felt Sarah's hands start to roam over his body, there was a brief knock at his door followed by Ellie, a cup of coffee in her hand and a very shocked and embarrassed look on her face. Stepping back she quickly closed the door and then, just as quickly, re-opened the door.

"Chuck, shower now! You have to be to work in thirty minutes! Sarah, kitchen now! You can help me make breakfast."

"But I don't know how to cook" Sarah replied and then, seeing the look in Ellie's eyes, simply shut up and rolled off of Chuck and got out of bed. "I'll be right there as soon as I use the bathroom" she answered. She looked back briefly at Chuck who was struggling to sit up, a bright blush climbing rapidly towards his hairline. "Chuck?" she asked, totally confused and, she'd be the first to admit, a little afraid.

"I don't know. She's never walked in on me before, well, you know, heading for 'second base'. I don't think she'll hurt you…she probably just wants to know what your intentions are."

"My intentions…about what?"

"Well, if I had to guess, about me. Please, we'll talk soon but you need to report to the kitchen and I need to take a shower…a very cold shower" he said and gave Sarah her first taste of his infamous 'eyebrow dance' which got the desired result…a big smile. He watched as she turned and walked away, wondering just what the hell he'd gotten himself into. 'Christ…first, a super computer in my head, then, spys in my life and now, the most beautiful woman I've ever seen seems to be interested in me…and all three things are related. What's next?' he asked himself as he started getting out some clean clothes for the day.

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Sarah Walker sat quietly, sipping her coffee and watching the three people who sat at the table with her. Chuck had showered, gotten dressed and was ready to head out to work. Devon, Ellie's boyfriend, was still dressed in scrubs having just gotten home from the shift his girlfriend had 'found' for him. He looked tired and Sarah was sure he'd be asleep soon. The third seat at the table held the woman who'd actually asked her what her intentions were concerning her brother. Agent Sarah Walker had been asked a lot of questions in her career but that was a first. She'd walked into the kitchen and found Ellie standing there with a cup of coffee extended towards her. After she'd accepted it and taken her first sip, the older woman had dropped the 'bomb', as it were, asking her what her intentions were as far as Chuck was concerned.

"Well, after I make contact with DC, I'll…" and that was as far as she'd gotten before the look in Ellie's eyes stopped her cold.

"Not the spy shit! I think you already have some idea how I feel about that. Nod your head if you're with me so far" Ellie paused just long enough for Sarah to nod and then she continued on, "what I want to know about is what are your 'intentions', if you know what I mean. Are you just going to work the, what's the phrase, 'honey trap' on him and then kick him to the curb when your mission is over…if you don't kill him, that is? Or, is there something else going on that I should know about?"

Sarah was shocked at how much the question un-nerved her. She honestly didn't know if she had 'intentions' or if she did, what they were. "Ellie, I really don't know. I've known your brother for forty-eight hours and I can honestly say that I've never met a man like him. He's smart and funny and honest and…well, sexy as hell. I intend to do my best to keep him safe and if that means that I get to spend lots of time with him, that's fine with me. I don't know what else to tell you."

"That'll do for now" she'd answered just as Chuck had walked in.

"What'll do for now?" He'd asked, very curious about what his sister had been talking with Sarah about.

"I just told her that she shouldn't leave her shoes under the table. Isn't that right, Sarah?"

"Yeah" Sarah had added.

Chuck had looked back and forth between the two women and then decided that he should just let it go…for now. "So, what's for breakfast?" he asked while pouring himself a cup of coffee

"It'll be on the table in a couple of minutes. Go make sure that Devon hasn't fallen asleep and then drag him out here. Breakfast and then work, Chuck, breakfast and work."

Fifteen minutes later, Chuck had finished his breakfast and after clearing his dishes and putting them in the sink, he stood at the table, not sure what would happen next. Seeing his hesitation, Ellie had shooed him out, telling him she wanted Sarah's help with 'something' and that she'd call him later. Knowing an Ellie dismissal when he heard one, he'd simply said goodbye and walked out of the front door. As he was passing the fountain in the courtyard, he noticed a large man carrying a large box into the apartment that sat opposite his sisters. It had been vacant for almost a month but it now appeared to have a new tenant. After a quick glance at his watch revealed that he was cutting it close, he decided that introductions could wait, he needed to get to the Buymore.

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Devon had stumbled off to bed a few minutes earlier and she'd decided to give Ellie a hand getting things tidied up. The two women had worked in silence and after the table was cleared and all of the dishes were cleaned, she'd started towards the front door, picking up her purse on the way.

"Tell my brother 'hi' when you see him, ok?" Ellie had said over her shoulder as she walked down the hallway towards her room. "Oh, and lock the door behind you."

Before Sarah could reply the elder Bartowski had disappeared into her room. After pulling her shoes on and grabbing her purse, She let herself out, making sure that the door locked behind her, just as Ellie had asked. Turning around, she walked past the fountain and was almost out of the courtyard when a voice sounded out behind her.

"Forty-eight hours and already doing the 'walk of shame' from the mark's apartment…must be a new record."

Sarah paused and looked back over her shoulder. "Go fuck yourself, Casey." she said before leaving.

"Walker…we need to talk. I'll call you later."

"Yeah, whatever." she called back as she opened the door of her Porsche, climbed in and after firing it up, pulled away with a screech. "Just great" she mumbled to herself as she sped away.

A/N: Please drop a review. They're always appreciated. JT


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Hello and sorry for the delay. Been a little unwrapped up…plinking away at this and swimmer and TRFW and this chapter dropped first…hope it passes approval…thank you to everyone who has given up a little of their valuable time and reviewed…it really means a lot to me…so, man o man, she's really gonna quit acting…the tears that I've shed…wait, that wasn't me, that was P.B.B….come on man, toughen up…you got the nice weather…big thanks to STN for all of the help…one of these days I'll actually get one to you first, until then, all of the mistakes contained here-in are mine…that's right, I claim all of these errors as my own…if they distract from your reading pleasure…what, is this the first chapter of mine you've read?…pffffftttt!…I wallow in my faults for they are many…but at the end of the day?…I'm still having fun doing this…thank you, Jim, for the nudge.

I don't own Chuck…or any of the characters in the Chuckverse…and, surprise, surprise…I'm not making money doing this.

Um...about the title. I've had some great suggestions but haven;t found the one yet that just makes me kick the one foot up and go...ahhhhhh. Plus, I'm lazy.

Hey you…yeah you…go ahead, give it a try. Hell, if I can cobble this stuff together, you can to…give it a try…trust me, it's a lot of fun…just promise me that you won't fall for that Nigerian Prince scam…that's right, Prince Boo Boo isn't Nigerian and you won't receive anything if you send him photos of your toes…trust me that…I know! JT

**Bryce Larkin - Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 7**

Sarah looked down at the corner of the display of her laptop, took note of the time and realized that the video conference with both Director Graham and General Beckman had lasted almost an hour. It had taken most of that time to convince her boss that Chuck shouldn't be taken to a secure bunker as soon as the conference was concluded. It seemed that CIA Directors really disliked being called on their private, unlisted phone number. The General had sat quietly while Sarah had explained that she hadn't really been trying to kill Chuck, that she'd simply been testing a theory. She admitted that her testing method may have been a bit extreme but that the results spoke volumes.

"Let me see if I have this right" the General had said, finally getting into the discussion. "You threw a knife at the mark and he caught it in mid-flight and you believe this action was a by-product of the intersect upload?"

"Yes ma'am."

"And the mark seems to be able to access all of the intelligence files that were also contained in the intersect as well?" the look of disbelief on her face easy to read.

"Yes ma'am" Sarah had answered and then waited while the two people on the other end of the video link seemed to be considering their options. It didn't show on her face but Sarah Walker was worried. She knew that a secure holding facility was a very real possibility as was a termination order but she was hoping for the third option, that Chuck would be allowed to remain where he was with a security detail assigned to keep him out of harms way.

As the silence seemed to stretch on, she found herself thinking about what happened that morning. She thought about how tender yet delightfully bruising Chuck's kisses had been and how his hands had felt right as they held her to him. She remembered feeling embarrassed when she'd woken up to find him smiling at her as she floated back to earth after the orgasm she'd ground herself to on his thigh. She almost smiled when she realized that if Ellie's entrance had been a couple of minutes later, she would have been grinding against him again, this time without clothes in the way. Before she could lose herself to more thoughts of what she and Chuck might have been doing if his sister hadn't walked in, the voice of General Diane Beckman snapped her beck to reality.

"Agent Walker, Major Casey has rented an apartment in the same complex as Mr. Bartowski and we would like to have his assessment before we make the final determination concerning the intersect" the general finished and then abruptly cut her video feed. The split screen disappeared, leaving her face to face with Director Graham.

"Agent Walker…Sarah, I need your best game on this. The NSA will be looking for any excuse to limit Mr. Bartowski's 'exposure' and I'm sure that Casey has been told to look for a reason to take control of the asset. I need you to stay as close to Bartowski as you can. Will that be a problem?"

"No sir, not a problem at all." Sarah answered with a straight face as she struggled to keep the smile she was feeling from breaking through.

"If you're correct about the upload, Mr. Bartowski could very well be the most important intelligence asset we've ever seen and I don't want to lose him to the NSA. I would also appreciate it if you would make sure he doesn't call me in the middle of the night…again."

"Yes sir" she answered only to realize that she was talking to a blank screen. After double checking to make sure that the connections were in fact cut, she allowed the smile she'd been fighting for the last fifteen minutes to take over her face. Making her way into the bathroom of her motel room, she got herself ready for a shower , peeling off the clothes she'd been wearing since the night before and tossing them into a pile in the corner. Stepping under the warm water, she reached for her body wash and soon found herself lost in the memories of earlier in the morning as she ran her lather covered hands across breasts. Imagining Chuck's hands, she soon found herself on the edge and when she thought of his lips and tongue and how she'd like him to use them on her, she came in a rush that left her knees shaking and she had to reach for the wall so she wouldn't slide to the floor. As she struggled to get her breathing back to normal, she found herself trying to remember the last time she'd been affected by a man this way and she couldn't.

Recognizing the need to clear her head, she reached out a hand and quickly turned the shower control and gasped as the cold water began cascading down her body. After five minutes, she stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a towel, her head clear and her body covered in goosebumps, both the direct result of the cold water that had dragged her back to reality. As she dried her body, she began planning the rest of her day, starting with the visit she would soon be making to Burbank Buymore in hopes of convincing Chuck Bartowski to let her take him out for lunch. She told herself that the visit was just to warn him about John Casey's impending visit but the truth was that she just wanted to see him. She wanted to look into those brown eyes again and stand near enough to him to breath in his scent.

'Oh crap' she said to herself when the realization struck that she was in trouble. Dropping the towel, she stepped back into the shower and made sure that the water was at it's coldest.

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Sarah walked through the sliding doors and stopped just inside the Buymore, scanning the store for the person she'd come to see. She noticed right away that he wasn't behind the counter where he'd been the last time she visited and the quick scan of the rest of the store had failed to find him. Tamping down a quick flare of disappointment and worry, she started making her way to the 'NerdHerd' desk, ready to ask the two people who were standing there. She had covered almost half of the distance when she got a better look at what was waiting for her at the journey's end and seriously considered turning around and leaving. It wasn't that the two men standing there were imposing or scary in any way. That, she could've handled, easily. The thing that gave her pause, possibly for the first time in her life, was the almost visible, 'skeevy' aura that both of the men seemed to radiate. Offering a silent prayer for Chuck to appear before she reached the counter, she actually slowed her steps as she fought against an urge to shudder. Reaching the counter without her 'miracle', she struggled to decide which of the two 'things' standing in front of her she would force herself to speak with. Before she could pick the lesser of two 'skeevils', the decision was taken out of her hands when the shorter of the two opened his mouth.

"Yes, miss, how may I service you…today?" the one with his 'Lester' name tag hanging askew asked while he making no effort to hide his attempt to look down her blouse.

"Yeah" the taller one added, his eyes seemingly unable to focus on anything.

"I would like to speak with Chuck Bartowski. Is he available?" she answered, still struggling to contain the shudder that she had been feeling since first noticing the two.

"Charles? Oh, that's not necessary. I'm sure that I can fulfill any needs that you night have…any at all" he replied, his eyes still straining to get glimpse down Sarah's shirt.

"I don't think so. Chuck was going to help me select a new laptop and offered to assist me in setting up a website, for my business." Sarah answered, deciding that she'd have to leave before she killed the little perv who couldn't seem to take a hint. Before she could turn to leave, Lester reached out a hand and gripped her arm.

"Trust me, miss, my friend and I have much more experience with adult web-sites than Charles. We've helped Jeffrey's sister and several of her friends get started and we are willing to work off part of the fee in trade."

"You should remove your hand from my arm before you lose it." Sarah said in a quiet, menace filled voice. She'd drawn back her free hand, ready to deliver a disabling blow when Chuck's panicked voice distracted her.

"Miss Walker" Chuck shouted as he came running from the back of the store. "Miss Walker" he said again as he closed the distance, hoping he'd get to the counter before Sarah knocked Lester's head off.

Sarah looked up at the sound of Chuck's voice and saw him as he hurried towards her. She immediately allowed her fist to drop to her side, suddenly aware of just how close she'd come to decking the irritating little man who still had his hand on her arm. Turning her eyes back to her current irritant, she noticed that he had stopped talking and was simply staring at her chest, a dazed look on his face. Looking down, she was embarrassed to realize that one of the buttons on her shirt had worked itself open and she was giving the small man standing in front of her more of a show than she ever intended. Shaking her arm from his feeble grasp, she quickly re-buttoned her shirt and then watched as Chuck Bartowski stepped up behind Lester and Jeff. She couldn't believe the anger she saw in his eyes and then just as quickly, it was gone, leaving behind a smile. He glanced at her and then winked an eye.

"Lester…Jeff…I believe it would be in your best interests to apologize to Miss Walker" he said, keeping his voice even. When it appeared that Sarah's chest had hypnotized the two men, Chuck simply gave each one of the a flick on the ear which managed to get their attention.

"Charles, what exactly do you think you are doing? You know you are not supposed to touch another employee. How many times have you heard Jeffrey being told that exact thing? Well, Charles?"

"Shut up, Lester. Not only did you touch a customer…"

"It was simply on her arm, which, I might add, she was holding up there for such a purpose…"

Sarah was about to object when she saw the subtle shake of Chuck's head as her caught her eye. He was definitely up to something so she decided to let it play out, promising herself that she'd jump in if it became necessary.

"Lester…not only did you touch a customer without her express permission, you also suggested that she was an adult entertainer and that you would be willing to exchange Buymore goods for sex…"

"Charles, that's just not true, besides, you were no where near hear when…um, if, such a thing was said." Lester explained, trying desperately to back-peddle out of this mess he made for himself. "Besides, it was all Jeff's idea…"

"It was too…" Jeff blurted out, picking that moment to emerge from his 'bra sighting' induced stupor, "…er, it was not" he corrected himself, still unsure what exactly was going on.

"Jeff, I'd advise you to shut up before Lester actually gets you into trouble. So far you're just guilty of leering and being, well, of being you. I think it would be best if you took your break…right now" Chuck finished by giving the man a gentle nudge towards the back of the store, aiming him, more or less, in the vague direction of the employee break room. Lester, suddenly feeling the attention on someone else, attempted to follow Jeff's lead and walk away, only to find Chuck suddenly blocking his way. "Lester, I believe you were about to apologize…"

"I didn't do anything wrong" he said, trying to look innocent and ending up with his usual look…the guilty of something look.

"Very well then, why don't you just stand there while I get the paperwork together so that Miss Walker can fill out the sexual harassment complaint. I keep them right here. Oh, and I suppose I should have Big Mike make copy of the surveillance video for the last hour, as well" he said as if the thought had just occurred to him. Reaching out, he pulled open a drawer and reached inside. Before he could pull anything out, Lester had turned towards Sarah and dropped to his knees.

"I'm so very sorry" he wailed, his lower lip trembling. "My blood sugar was low, and…uh, I had too much cough medicine and…uh, I forgot to take my mid-morning ADD meds and I…"

"Enough" Sarah said, trying to keep a straight face. Before she could say anything else, Chuck pulled some papers from the drawer and bent down to whisper into Lester's ear.

"I think you should turn around now and step over to the other side of the counter and keep an eye open for the next customer that you can be very nice to…sound good?"

"Why, yes Charles, that sounds like a brilliant course of action" Lester answered, suddenly very eager to get as far away from Sarah as he could, without actually leaving the nerd herd area.

Chuck looked into Sarah's eyes and gave a quick wink and a smile. "So, Miss Walker, if you'd like, I would be happy to go over your options vis-à-vis this paperwork and Buymore's very serious desire to provide as pleasant a shopping experience as possible. If you would like, I could take a break and go over these forms with you, just to make sure that you want to go through with this. Lester, I'll be taking a break now. I'm hoping, for your sake, that Miss Walker and I can come to an understanding."

Lester turned slowly and whispered, just loud enough to be heard, that he hoped that she would forgive him and that he'd be happy to reimburse them for the cost of their lunch, adding that he thought that Lou's had a lunch special and that they might try there. Chuck smiled, amazed that Lester, even when he had him by the proverbial 'short hairs', would still try and 'cheap' out.

Putting down a hand, Chuck vaulted over the counter and stood beside Sarah. Noticing that Lester was watching, he reached over and picked up the papers he pulled from the drawer and then, as if remembering something, he reached across the counter and turned his laptop towards him. He spent a few moments with his hands seeming to fly across the keys and then paused, looked at his watch, and then went back to typing. "There" he said with a final flourish on the keyboard, "all of the appropriate surveillance video has been saved to a special off-site server, just in case I can't talk her out of this". He desperately wanted to laugh out loud at the look of abject fear that he saw in Lester's eyes. "I'll be back soon. At least, I hope it's soon." he said as he looked at the small man standing across from him.

"Please Charles, take as much time as you need…I've got this covered. Once again, miss, please accept my deepest apologies" he said as he allowed his eyes to drift towards something he'd just discovered on the floor. "I don't know what I was doing I…"he stumbled to a halt when he looked back up and found that the object of his apology was walking towards the main exit, her arm laced through Chucks. "Crap, that was too close" he mumbled to himself as he watched a customer approach the counter. "What do you want?" he asked, making it clear to the person that he really didn't care. Glancing down at his watch, he looked back up at the customer. "Sorry, I'm on break. Someone should be here soon…ish." he said before turning around and heading towards the back of the store, leaving a very confused looking man standing alone at the counter.

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As soon as they'd stepped through the front doors, Sarah pulled her arm from Chuck's, gave him a light punch to the shoulder and then re-inserted her arm. She started pulling away from the row of Nerd Herders which was apparently where Chuck had been heading. "I'm not riding in one of those unless you can promise me that Lester has never been in that particular vehicle." Looking at the man walking next to her, she saw him consider saying something and then abandon that idea in favor of allowing her to lead him where ever she wanted. She saw the brief look of awe when, with the push of a button on her key fob, the alarm chirped in the midnight blue Porsche she just led them to.

"So, you could find anything else that screamed 'hey look at me?' in the CIA garage?" Chuck asked with a smile.

"Sure I could have, but this was the only one that belonged to me."

"Wow, this car is beautiful" Chuck replied, swallowing his original thought of answering that he knew that because he'd read her files. He knew that she was uncomfortable with the level of his knowledge of her and he'd promised himself to avoid flaunting that knowledge whenever possible. "Want me to drive?" he asked with a waggle of his eyebrows thrown in, pretty sure what her response would be and being totally shocked when she simply tossed him the keys. He saw the brief look of hesitation when he asked her if she was sure but smiled when she walked around to the passenger side where he had been standing with the door open and slid into the seat.

"You're the first, Chuck" Sarah said when she caught him staring at her.

"I'm the first what, exactly?" he replied as he slid into the drivers seat.

"The first man I've ever let drive this car. Now, no scratches or dents! Start her up and let's go." She watched as Chuck briefly closed his eyes and then re-opened them before inserting the key into the ignition. She had the sudden feeling that the man sitting next to her had just accessed the intersect and, if she was right, he could now probably drive her car better than she could. She still couldn't figure out why she'd offered Chuck the keys in the first place but at least now she knew that her 'baby' was in good hands. For some reason that thought triggered a memory from the morning and she silently added, 'really, really good hands' while she took the time to admire the way Chuck seemed to fit just right into her car. As Chuck backed out of the parking space, Sarah reached for the AC controls and, telling herself it wasn't as effective as a cold shower but would have to do, she cranked the temperature setting to it's coldest and adjusted the vents near her to blow right into her face.

"Where to?" Chuck asked and had to repeat himself when Sarah seemed to be lost in thought. "Where to?"

"Oh, sorry about that" she said after giving her head a quick shake. "Your place".

"Why my place, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Well, you have a new neighbor and you need to meet him."

"Um, ok?"

"Trust me, Chuck. I could try and explain but I have a feeling the answer you get from the intersect will be a lot faster and more informative…ok?"

"Sure. Um, how about lunch?"

"After, I promise."

Chuck drove on in silence, enjoying the feel of the car beneath him and marveling at the skills and knowledge that where now at his command. He toyed with the idea of putting some of his new found abilities to the test but realized that he already had been when he glanced down and noticed the speedo had climbed into the triple digits. Taking his foot back out of the gas pedal, he down shifted and got ready for his exit which had crept up on him a lot faster than he could ever remember it doing before. Glancing towards his passenger, he took note of the smile on her face and decided he must have passed…at least, so far.

A few minutes later, he pulled into a parking space in front of his, well, 'actually Ellie's apartment complex' he told himself and, moments after he pulled the key from the ignition, he was standing at the passenger door, holding it open as Sarah slowly got out of the car. He had several questions ready for her but decided to wait, feeling pretty confidant that he'd have a whole lot more, soon enough.

Once again he allowed Sarah to guide him and soon they were standing in front of the door that Chuck remembered seeing the large man carrying the box towards earlier in the morning. He stood next to Sarah and waited while she knocked on the door. Moments later the door swung inwards and Chuck got his first look at Major John Casey. Sarah watched as Chuck closed his eyes and then re-opened them.

"Sugar Bear" Chuck said with a smile as he offered his hand. He never saw the hand that was suddenly wrapped around his throat. He saw the look of rage that contorted the large man's face and he closed his eyes briefly and the re-opened them and choked out, 'I'm sorry' before reaching his own hand out and grabbing at the side of Casey's neck.

Sarah couldn't believe that things had gotten so weird, so fast. Casey had opened his door, Chuck had offered some nick name as a greeting. Casey had grabbed Chuck's throat and before she could force herself to move, Chuck had mumbled something and reached a hand out and grabbed the side of the Major's neck. It seemed that as soon as Chuck had touched the other man's neck, Major John Casey had dropped like a puppet whose strings had all been cut. She didn't know what to do. Chuck was leaning against the doorframe, struggling to catch his breath and laying at her feet, the unmoving body of John Casey. "What the fuck just happened?" she asked, wondering just who would answer her question.

A/N: 2 Hey, hoped it was tolerable. Hit that button and let me know. Please.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Guess what gang…two stories, two updates, one day….wow, and the crowd goes mild…hey, esardi and uplink2 were being mean and I had to do this…if they're not as full of magic as usual(the updates, not esardi and uplink2), well, I think we know who to blame…right?…right?…yeah, that's right, Prince Boo Boo…seriously, hope ya like 'em…got some TRFW coming soon…once again, thanks to STN for all of the help…if I actually improve, it's mostly your fault…some others have also had things to say and I'm forever grateful…I know, that darn title…ah, go on, admit it, it's starting to grow on ya, ain't it? No? Well, I'm still accepting suggestions…and before you ask, no P.B.B., I refuse to consider 'Nando, My Everything' as a title…and I won't send you the link for the Abe Vigoda candid toe shots…man, therapy, please.

No Beta, No Chuck Ownership, No money made for all of this magic…no shit!

Thanks for the nudge, Jim. JT

**Bryce Larkin - Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 8**

If anyone had asked, Sarah Walker would have to admit that she couldn't believe what had just happened. She'd seen it with her own two eyes and she still couldn't believe it. Major John Casey, NSA agent and all around bad-ass, had just been taken out, right in front of her. A tall, gangly looking nerd had dropped John Casey like a bad habit, leaving the highly trained and, truth be told, justifiably feared agent unconscious on the ground in front of the apartment he'd just rented.

She looked over at Charles Bartowski as he stood against the wall of the apartment, gently rubbing his throat that, moments before, John Casey had been trying to crush. The young man was staring down at the large man at his feet with a look of remorse and that threw Sarah Walker for a loop. She would not have been surprised to see anger or fear or even a combination of the two but instead, Chuck looked like he felt guilty for what he'd been forced to do. He looked up and when he saw that she was staring at him, the guilt seemed to disappear only to be replaced with a look of embarrassment which left her feeling even more confused.

Stepping closer, telling herself it was only to make sure that Chuck was alright, she tentatively reached out a hand and placed it gently on his shoulder. She felt herself starting to slip into the same brown eyes that had captivated her the other day and she quickly withdrew her hand before taking a step backwards. She couldn't understand when the look of embarrassment seemed to morph into shame before he dropped his eyes from hers, choosing to stare at the man lying unconscious at his feet.

"Chuck, are you ok?" she asked, honestly concerned about whatever was going through his mind and finding herself wanting to know what was bothering him, if for no other reason than a desire to take away whatever concern he had. When he didn't answer right away, she stepped closer again and put her hand back on his shoulder. "Chuck, what's wrong?"

"I didn't want to hurt him. That was the only thing I could find" he said as he tapped a finger against his temple, "that wouldn't do permanent damage. He is going to have a nasty headache though."

Sarah struggled once again with what she wanted to do and why she wanted to do it. Pulling him into a comforting hug was her first instinct but she fought against it, worried that he might take the gesture the wrong way, thinking that she was invading his personal space as some sort of 'play' to gain some sort of control over him. She knew that he'd read the manual on 'inducement' and would probably think she was 'playing' him so she resisted the urge, settling for the feel of her hand on his shoulder.

"It's ok, Chuck. You didn't do anything wrong. You simply defended yourself from an unprovoked attack" she said and watched as the guilt started to slip away, not as quickly as she would have liked, but quick enough. "John Casey is a highly trained agent and I can't understand why he attacked you like that. 'Sugar-bear' hardly seems like some sort of life altering curse word, something that would warrant such an extreme reaction." She watched as Chuck closed his eyes briefly and when he re=opened them, the guilt was back, in force. "What is it, Chuck?"

"When I first flashed on Major Casey, I found 'sugar-bear' in a letter in his file but I didn't look any closer. It seems that a woman he was dating and who he thinks died in a car bomb explosion, used to call him that. They were pretty close. He almost left the agency afterwards, even went so far as to submit a letter of resignation but General Beckman evidently talked him out of it" Chuck finished and then fell silent again, his eyes drifting downwards again. "Yesterday was the four year anniversary."

Sarah suddenly understood what had caused one of the NSA's most respected enforcer's to snap. 'John Casey broke the rule and fell in love' she marveled to herself, finding it hard to believe that General Diane Beckman's top agent was, deep down, a human being. She was sure that he'd deny it and she decided that she would have to tell Chuck that he should never reveal what he'd learned because Casey would take it as a very intense breech of his own personal history.

"Chuck, I want you to promise me that you'll never bring that up again. John Casey would not he happy to find out just how much you know…"

"But Sarah, she's still alive. She works for the French Secret Service" Chuck said, interrupting Sarah. "Don't you think he deserves to know? Wouldn't you want to know?"

Sarah honestly didn't know how to respond. Mainly because, if she was honest with herself, she wasn't sure that she'd ever been in love. She also didn't like having this knowledge because, as far as the whole 'spy game' went, knowledge was power and she now knew something that might be very valuable to John Casey. She doubted that she'd ever use it and she was pretty sure that Chuck would never use it, at least, not in the way that someone from her 'world' would.

"Well, wouldn't you?" Chuck asked again, breaking into her thoughts, snapping her back to reality.

"I honestly don't know, Chuck. I can't tell you not to tell him, all I can do is ask that you wait. You don't know John Casey. He may not be the same man he was back then and maybe, just maybe, he doesn't want to know. Unless you're sure that knowing she's still alive would be the best thing for him, maybe you should wait. You can always tell him but you can't un-tell him, if you know what I mean."

Chuck looked into her eyes and she felt herself starting to slip again so she took a step back and waited for Chuck's actions to help her decide what the next move should be. While she waited, Sarah stepped over the fallen man and swung open his apartment door. With her back to the open doorway, she bent down and hooked her hands under his arms and, with a grunt, started to drag the unconscious form backwards into the apartment. The sound of Sarah's exertions snapped Chuck out of his thoughts and he moved to grab John Casey's feet, grunting himself when he strained to pick up the lower half of Sarah's burden.

"Holy crap, this guy weighs a ton" Chuck wheezed out as he struggled to follow Sarah's lead.

"Yeah…the three 'M's" she replied with a small smile on her lips.

"Three 'M's?" Chuck asked as he kicked the front door shut behind him.

"Muscles, meanness and mayhem" Sarah responded as she got closer to the couch where she had planned to drop John Casey, if she didn't drop him on the way there. She heard Chuck's snorted response to her description of the 'three Ms' and could help feeling pleased with herself for getting such response from him. She'd spent her life convinced that her sense of humor was next to non-existent and the fact that Chuck Bartowski had almost laughed at something she'd said made her feel good.

She nodded towards Chuck as she stepped to the side of the couch and after seeing his recognition of her signal, she gave a quick heave and then they both managed to drop John Casey onto what looked to be the only piece of furniture in his apartment. While Chuck stepped away from the big man's feet, Sarah gave him a quick pat down and Chuck was surprised to see her remove two pistols and one very sturdy looking switchblade.

"Any idea how long he's going to be out?" Sarah asked and watched, fascinated, as Chuck accessed the intersect. His closed eyes were all that indicated that he was getting information that the upload provided and she waited for his answer. It scared her a little that he could, if he chose, find out everything about her, well, everything that he hadn't seen the last time he looked she reminded herself. In the space of a heartbeat, Chuck's eyes opened again and he smiled.

"He should already be awake…isn't that right, Major Casey" he said and smiled when the NSA agent's eyes blinked open. Chuck watched as Sarah stepped back quickly, one of the guns she'd removed from Casey suddenly gripped firmly in her hand and pointed at his head.

"How long have you been awake, Casey?" Sarah asked, the gun in her hand held rock steady as the big man slowly sat up, obviously being very careful about his movements, not wanting to give the wrong impression.

"Muscles, meanness and mayhem…really?" he asked as he slowly turned to get a better look at the man that he last remembered being in his grip. "What the hell did you do to me, if you don't mind me asking?" he growled and was secretly pleased when the man seemed to flinch, just a little. "Figures that some geek would know how to do some sorta 'vulcan' nerve pinch"

"Actually, I prefer the term nerd and, no, it wasn't 'vulcan'…I believe it may be Tibetan in origin, if you really want to know" Chuck answered, taking note of the small smile that seemed to appear and then vanish from Sarah's face. He also watched as John Casey slowly raised his left hand to his neck and gently began massaging the area around where Chuck had delivered the nerve strike, his eyes holding several unasked questions. "Listen, Major, I'm sorry about calling you…well, what I called you" Chuck said, glad that he'd decided at the last second not to repeat the word that seemed to have triggered this whole situation when he'd seen a very brief flare of the anger that had preceded Casey's earlier attack.

"That's alright. No harm , no foul" Casey answered as he reached a hand towards Sarah, a silent request for the return of his weapons. He almost smiled as he watched Sarah slowly set the guns and the knife down on the table, not out of Casey's reach, just far enough away that he'd have to telegraph any move to get them. "What's the matter, Walker? Don't trust me?"

"To be honest, John…not right now. You did try to murder Chuck when he called you a name" she said, her eyes never wavering as they watched Casey slowly uncoil from the tensed position he'd been in for the last few moments.

"Look, I already apologized to the kid for the misunderstanding. It won't happen again" he added, turning his head slightly to look at Chuck. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to get up and find some aspirin because my head is fuckin' killing me. I promise, no 'mayhem', at least until we've had us a little chat, ok?" Seeing Sarah give a brief nod, he got to his feet and walked towards his kitchen.

Chuck watched Casey as he turned and then disappeared in to the kitchen area and then turned his eyes back to Sarah, silently asking her what he should do. Seeing her eyes flicker briefly towards the chair at her side, he walked over and took a seat, deciding that he would follow Sarah's lead since he really didn't have a clue what was going on. He listened to the rattling noises emanating from the general direction that John Casey had gone and wasn't sure just how he was supposed to feel when the big man returned with a bottle of Gatorade in his hand. He noted that Casey sat back down a little further away from his weapons than he'd originally been and he wondered about that.

"Don't want Walker getting all nervous like while we're chatting" Casey offered, obviously having seen the question in Chuck's eyes. "So, Bartowski, you're the intersect now?" Casey asked, not really needing an answer. He ignored Sarah, looking past her as he waited for Chuck's answer.

"Yeah, I guess I am" Chuck answered, realizing for the first time that he wasn't just the person who had an upload, he was in fact, the intersect. He knew that if someone else were to go through the upload, they would become their own version of the intersect, that because everybody was different, anyone who could survive the upload would, by that very fact, be a different intersect. This new found knowledge led to the realization that if his sister were ever to make good on her threat and she uploaded the copy of the intersect that she'd hidden away, she might turn out to be something very different than him. He now knew that he'd have to make sure that Ellie never had a reason to go through with it and that meant staying alive. "So, where does that leave us?"

Casey shook his head. "I have no idea" he answered truthfully. He'd come to California, not knowing what to expect and hoping that inspiration would strike. Bartowski was the wild card, in every sense of the word. If the kid could access half of the skills that he knew to be in the intersect, his potential as an agent would be immeasurable. His temperament would be the key. If he lacked the heart to use the skills, he would be better off in a heavily secured environment where he could be used as an analyst, made to sit behind a desk all day, reviewing reports and making recommendations based on the intersect's conclusions. But, if he had the heart, and if he could be convinced to 'join the team', as it were, his might very well prove to be the most important asset that they had in the coming battle with Fulcrum.

"Well, that's just super" Chuck said as he sighed and then got to his feet. "Nice meeting you, John. Sorry about the whole neck pinch thing and that other thing, as well. I've gotta get back to work so…" he paused, hoping that Sarah might pick up on the hint which she did, getting to her feet and backing slowly towards the door, never taking her eyes from John Casey.

"I guess I'll see you around" Casey said as he watched Chuck walk out the door, followed closely by Sarah Walker who hadn't taken her eye off of him since he'd sat back down. He hadn't expected a response and therefore, wasn't surprised when he didn't get one. He raised his hand to his neck again, still wondering how the kid had done it. He knew that the nerve pinch was theoretically possible but he'd never seen one actually used, well, that was no longer true because he'd seen one used earlier…at least, he'd seen the first part of it, the falling down after, he'd missed that entirely. 'This is going to be interesting' he told himself as he got to his feet, having decided that there was no time like the present to begin his surveillance.

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Sarah had insisted on driving back to the Buymore and Chuck had been treated to a passenger's eye view of just what a Porsche could do. He was sure that he had several new gray hairs by the time Sarah had pulled up in front of the store and he'd climbed out. He started to walk away when Sarah called after him.

"Chuck, would it be forward if I asked you out to dinner?" Sarah asked, wondering why she suddenly felt so strange. She'd asked men out before, so that wasn't it. No, the difference was that this time, she actually cared about the answer. Before she could over analyze everything, Chuck had leaned down with a smile on his face and simply said 'yes'.

'What?' she asked herself. "What?" she repeated, this time out loud,

"Yes, you're being forward and , yes, I'd be happy to let you take me to dinner. My shift is over at six. Should I go home and get all gussied up or do you just wanna stop by here and drag me out to some fast food place?"

"I'll be by to get you at six o five and then I'll take you home so you can put on something pretty for me" Sarah answered with a smile. She couldn't believe it when Chuck laughed at her answer.

"Ok, Miss Walker. I'm just not sure if I have anything nice enough to wear if I'm going to be seen with such a beautiful woman."

"Don't worry, after I get you home, I'll help you pick out something nice. See you later, Chuck." she finished and then pulled away, leaving a dazed and slightly confused Chuck Bartowski.

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Chuck had spent the entire afternoon trying to avoid Lester who'd been hounding him since his return from lunch, pleading for any information about the paperwork that Chuck had carried out of the store with him. Thankfully, the last half hour had been blissfully silent and when he glanced at his watch, he realized that Sarah should be pulling up out front at any time now. He looked towards the front door just as a customer approached the counter, a Prism Express laptop held in his hands. Chuck's eyes left the front door and focused on the man standing in front of him. He felt the instant flood of information that the man's face triggered and he silently cursed his luck. ' Just great. I've got a date and some Serbian demolitions expert, who is wanted in relation to several bombings, is trying to buy a laptop, just like the one he used in his last bomb. Just fuckin' great' he said to himself as he wondered just what he was going to do.

**A/N: again- Second update in one day…my head hurts…please review…it's like a healing potion…(you can't see it but I'm pouting adorably) please?**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Well this should be fun…thanks to everyone for playing along…yo, retro panda, back to work…Prince Boo Boo…pffffffttttt!…was re-reading some APR…man I miss that guy…man, long hot weekend…hopefully everyone dodged Irene…still haven't found a better title…not for lack of trying…have had a few good suggestions…little out of it…got some swimmer and TRFW worked on today…maybe soon…as always, I rushed this and ignored a perfectly great beta(sorry STN) in my frenzied rush to drop this update…esardi was hounding me…what you find at the end of this is all his fault…reviews are encouraged and always appreciated…been a while since any Shate fiction…c'mon Shaters, publish. Still having fun so, Jim, thanks for the nudge…don't own Chuck or anything in the Chuckverse and still not making money at this…although some one did get me a membership in the lipton soup of the month club…so, I got that going for me….JT

**Bryce Larkin - Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 9**

Sarah Walker looked down at her watch for what felt like the hundredth time in the last fifteen minutes, wondering where Chuck Bartowski was. She'd been sitting in her Porsche, struggling with her desire to charge into the Buymore store she was parked in front of and find out what was taking Chuck so long. He'd told her to pick him up at five minutes past six and she'd been waiting, impatiently, for him to appear. Just as she had decided to go find Chuck, she saw him walking out the front doors of the store and couldn't believe the surge of relief she felt when he'd appeared. As he approached her car, Sarah found herself questioning the feelings that had been swirling inside of her for the last few hours, the most surprising of which had been the apprehension she'd felt when her phone rang and she'd been sure it was Chuck, calling to cancel the dinner because he'd come to his senses and didn't want to go out with someone who had a past like hers. The caller ID had identified the incoming call as being encrypted and she'd smiled with the realization that the encryption meant that the call was coming from someone she worked with and not Chuck Bartowski.

She remembered answering the call and having Director Graham ask for a situation update. Ten minutes later, she'd hung up after bringing her boss up to date on everything, including their date that night, only, she hadn't referred to it as a date, choosing instead to label it as a meeting to discuss the intersect. She smiled as she recalled the Director's chuckle when she'd described how Chuck had dropped Major John Casey. The passenger door opening snapped her back to reality and she mentally kicked herself for losing focus, yet again.

She watched as Chuck folded himself into the passenger seat, admiring the smooth way his body almost seemed to flow, effortlessly into the small car. She felt the smile on her face disappear when she noticed the worried look on his face and she waited for the bad news she was sure was coming.

"I'm afraid that we're going to have to cancel our date" he said and she thought that he actually looked like he was genuinely sorry. "Miss Walker, if I didn't know better, I'd swear that you were looking forward to our dinner as much as I was…or was it the undressing me so you could pick out the 'pretty' clothes I was going to wear for you?"

"Oh yes" she responded and immediately threw her hand over her mouth even though she knew it was too late and her only hope was that he'd think it was just an attempt at a joke. Looking into his eyes, she knew that he'd caught her and there was no way he'd believe that her response, and the clearly husky voice she used, had been a joke. She watched as the look of surprise on his face was immediately followed by blush that climbed up his neck and settled into his cheeks. She decided to wait for his response and watched as he struggled to figure out what he was going to say next.

"Well, um.." Chuck stammered, not sure what to say next, "as much as I hate to ignore that admission, and as odd as this may seem for a follow-up, we need to get over to Major Casey's place. Something's about to happen and I only want to go through what I have to say, once. I know that the Major's here for basically the same reason as you and what I've just found out could have a big impact on how your bosses decide to 'deal' with me.

Sarah simply nodded her head and started the car, pulling out of the parking space and heading out of the parking lot without saying a word. She drove effortlessly while she wondered what had happened that Chuck felt required Casey's input and almost immediately gave up, telling herself that guessing would do no good, that she'd just have to wait to find out until Chuck decided to talk. Changing gears, both literally and figuratively, she started asking herself about Chuck's response to her earlier slip. Despite her fervent hopes that he wouldn't notice the desire in her voice, she'd seen the recognition in his eyes and found herself wondering if he'd been thinking about her wanting to play 'dress-up', and more importantly, 'undress-up' with him as much as she had. 'Hopefully' she told herself as she slid the car into a vacant parking space in front of Chuck's apartment complex.

Sarah was out of her car before Chuck could make his way around and open the door for her but she did make note of his effort, wondering if Ellie had been responsible for his polite nature and good manners. She promised herself to look into it as part of her side mission which included learning everything she could about the man who she found so interesting. She took note that he was waiting for her at the sidewalk and matched her, step for step, as they made their way to John Casey's apartment.

Sarah noted the look of surprise on Chuck's face when John Casey pulled his door open just as he was about to knock. She watched Chuck close his eyes briefly and when he reopened them, he did a slow inspection of the surrounding area followed with a knowing smile. He waited until she had walked through the door and then stepped in, closing the door behind him. She noted that Major John Casey watched Chuck carefully and waited until he found a place on his couch before finding a seat of his own, one that insured that he had the tactical advantage if anything was to happen.

"So, Walker, what brings you and your…" Casey started but then seemed to be at a loss for words to describe Chuck. "…asset here?"

"I don't know, Casey. Chuck asked me to bring him here. Maybe he wants to show you how that nerve strike works…again" Sarah responded, not above snarking back when she felt the situation warranted it.

"Major Casey, Agent Walker" Chuck said, hoping to put a stop to whatever seemed to be going on between them. "Just before the end of my shift at the Buymore, Anton Skedry entered the store and asked me to check his new Prism Express laptop, which didn't seem to be working."

"Well, that's wonderful, Bartowski. Glad to know that you're work…"

"Shut-up, Casey!" Chuck said, the firm tone in his voice, more than anything else, convincing the Major to be quiet. "As I was saying, Anton Skedry brought in his new laptop and asked me to take a look at it. He said it wasn't working the way he needed it to work and asked me to run a quick diagnostic on it" seeing that Casey was eager to say something, Chuck hurried on, hoping that what he said next would get the attention he needed. "The problem is that Mr. Skedry is a Serbian demolitions expert who is wanted in connection to almost a half dozen terrorist attacks throughout Europe. The last three attacks he is credited with masterminding used that same type of laptop for the triggering device" he finished and sat back, waiting expectantly.

"And that means exactly what?" Casey said as he cast a nervous glance towards Agent Sarah Walker, already afraid that he knew exactly what it did mean. "So you fixed his laptop…so what?"

"Didn't you hear what I said? A terrorist came into my place of work and asked me to repair his laptop…which he may, or may not, be planning to use to build and, possibly, detonate a bomb hear in Los Angeles" Chuck answered, obviously not happy with Casey's response to his news.

"Do you know for a fact that he's intending to build a bomb?"

"No…"

"And do you know his exact whereabouts, right at this moment or do you think Agent Walker and myself should just start driving around, hoping to run into this guy that _you_ claim is a terrorist?" Casey asked, keeping his voice calm but laying on the condescension.

"Listen, Major, I know who he is and what he's done. This thing" he said as he tapped his head, "isn't wrong. The man is dangerous and you need to take what I have to say, very seriously"

"And what 'thing' is it that I have to take 'very seriously', Bartowski?" Casey asked, once again sure of the answer but wanting to hear it from the young man currently sitting on his couch.

"The intersect upload, you asshole!" Chuck blurted out, tried of John Casey's attitude. He briefly closed his eyes and when he reopened them, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "How about I give the general a call and see if she ordered you to act like such a douche?" he said as he started running his fingers of the display on his phone.

"Oh, like you've got General Diane Beckman's phone number, memorized." he responded, figuring that the kid was just trying to yank his chain. Sure, he'd heard about him calling Director Graham but he wouldn't be stupid enough to call a two star general…would he? He wondered to himself.

"You really should apologize, Casey" Sarah Walker said as she watched with a weird sense of deja-vu as Chuck was dialing.

Casey had just decided that maybe, just maybe, a little discretion was exactly what the situation called for. "Ok…ok, Bartowski" he said, using one hand to make a calming gesture while he watched the amused expression on Agent Walker's face fade back into a look of concern. "What would be your suggestion?"

"Well, Major" he began as he slid his phone back into his pocket. "When I was running a quick diagnostic on his laptop, I also activated his GPS which, somehow or other, had been turned off. We could use it to trace the computer but while I was servicing the laptop, I saw a few programs that I have no clue what their functions are…."

"Why didn't you…"

"Because, Major Casey, I only had fifteen minutes and he was watching me, the whole time. If I'd tried to do something, he might have taken it somewhere else for repairs, somewhere that didn't have an intersect of staff. I would hate to find out that one of the programs was some sort of fail safe and when I the 'pinged' the GPS, it activated some sort of triggering program."

"That makes sense" John Casey answered, not happy about admitting that the kid had done the right thing at the moment. "So 'pinging' the laptop should be our last resort. In the meantime, what are we going to do? Maybe you should call the general."

Sarah sat quietly, waiting to see what Chuck would do next, curious to see what his thought process would be. She knew he was a genius, the question was, could he apply that genius to tactics. She wasn't disappointed when Chuck offered his idea.

"Well, first, I think we might see if there is an obvious target. If so, then we start there. If there's more than one, we'll have to start with the most obvious and work back" Chuck replied and then paused, both to catch his breath and to let Major Casey consider what he'd just said. He turned to look at Sarah and happened to catch sight of Casey's television that was set up in the far corner, on, but muted. Chuck froze when the figure on the screen caught his attention and he felt the now familiar information dump that accompanied the activation of the intersect program.

"General Stanfield" Chuck blurted out. "That has to be the target. He's addressing a huge gathering of allied leaders at a hotel downtown in less than an hour."

"What?" Casey said as he got quickly to his feet, a look of concern on his face. He knew the General and would hate for anything to happen to him, even if he didn't always agree with his politics. "Alright, Walker. Well head down town and take a look" the big man said as reached out and appeared to hit some hidden release on the lower edge of his coffee table which suddenly slid open, revealing a hidden cache of weapons. "Grab what you need, Walker. I'm gonna go and get changed and then we can dump the 'kid' at his place before we head out."

Sarah simply nodded her head and then reached for a Smith & Wesson 9mm. She also grabbed a few extra clips, tucking them into her pockets. When she finally looked up, she noticed the upset look on Chuck's face. Not sure what he could possibly be upset about, she decided to shorten the process and just ask. "What's up, Chuck?"

"Well, as much as I hate to say it, you are going to have to take me with you"

"Oh, and why is that? Sarah asked, trying to keep the superior tone from her voice. "Have you dealt with a lot of terrorist bombs before?"

"No. of course I haven't" he answered and then briefly closed his eyes, "but neither have you…or Casey. At least, not this kind of bomb." he finished and crossed his arms over his chest, leaving little doubt that, even though he wasn't thrilled with the idea, he was going to be accompanying them.

Giving her head a quick nod, she reached back into the 'arms table' and picked up another 9mm and, after slamming home a clip and making user the gun was safed, she tossed it to Chuck who caught it , deftly, and then tucked it into the waist band of his black slacks and then pulled his white shirt over the butt of the gun, effectively hiding it from sight.

Casey chose that moment to reappear, dressed head to toe in black. "Alright, Walker, let's get going. We'll talk to you later, Bartowski." he said as he made his way towards the front door.

"So, do you know where you're going?" Chuck asked and without waiting for an answer, continued on, "do you know the floor plans for the hotel? Do you know anything about working on a Prism Express laptop that might be part of a very large bomb? Didn't think so…let's go" he finished as he crossed the living room and, having reached it, pulled open the front door. "Well, let's go" he said as he stood with the edge of the open door in his hand.

Casey looked at Walker who simply offered a slight shrug before she started to move in Chuck's direction. "Why don't you follow us, Casey?" Sarah said back over her shoulder before pausing at the door to grab Chuck's tie and then pulling him along behind her out towards where she'd parked her car earlier. She felt a moments hesitation from Chuck and then he was moving along behind her, seemingly matching her pace without difficulty.

"Just great" Casey mumbled to himself as he pulled the door closed behind him, not believing that they were about to rush headlong into a potentially catastrophic situation with an untested variable acting as their back up.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Casey could not believe what he was looking at. He'd somehow managed to stay on Walker's ass as she drove her Porsche like she was attempting to set some new land speed record. More than once, he was glad that his Crown Vic was about as far from stock as a car could be and not be covered with stickers and have an emergency drag chute.

Once out of the cars, he and Agent Walker had followed Bartowski as he ran through the lobby, splashed through a decorative fountain and then pushed his way into a rather large conference room, dropping one of the door's guards with the same nerve strike he'd used on Casey. He was about to reach for the second guard when Casey showed up and waved his badge which got them immediate access. When the stepped into the room, they all froze and then slowly began casting about, hoping to catch sight of something suspicious looking.

Chuck took the lead again when he spotted a serving cart that looked like the same type that the bomb maker had used on his last mission. Stepping up to the cart, he tentatively reached out a hand and when he touched the large domed serving tray, the cover rolled back, revealing a laptop and a huge amount of what looked like C4, all wired together and looking very unfriendly. He felt both Sarah and Casey, standing to either side of him, both keeping quiet as the scanned the room, not quite sure what they were looking for, just intending to make sure that no one approached them that they didn't want to interact with.

Chuck watched as the timer on the laptop's display counted down, telling him that something very unpleasant was very close to happening.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Sarah stepped closer to Chuck and gently placed her hand on his arm as his fingers flew over the keyboard. She didn't have a clue what he was attempting to do and her brief glance at the timer worried her. Chuck paused and she saw him punch the enter key and then he cursed when the countdown continued. He looked up and into her eyes and she saw the fear and guilt there.

"I tried…I'm so sorry, Sarah" he said.

"That's ok…you tried" she said at the same time, already knowing what he was feeling by the look in his eyes. She started to lean in, hoping for one last kiss.

"Oh Fuck!" Casey said as he watched the digital display click to all zeros.

Chuck wondered if there would be much pain and, for Sarah's sake, he hoped there wouldn't be. His lips were almost touching the beautiful blonde agent's when everything went an unbelievably bright white….

A/N : Cliffy? esardi, this is your fault! (hehe)


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Another chapter for all of you beautiful people….and you to, Prince Boo Boo…hey, esardi…pfffffttttt! Got some Swimmer and TRFW percolating, hopefully soon…thanks to everyone who's taken to this yarn, despite the title…I won't promise a change but it might happen…hell, stranger things have happened…been doing some re-reading and it's funny how many great storytellers have referred to Bryce as a DB…the list is to long for me to mention… poor Bryce, he sure ain't a beloved character…not really in a ramblin' mood…not sure why…sure, I started one of them blog thingies but it couldn't possibly sap all of my ramblin' energy…probably just the fact that I stayed up past my bedtime…9:45...holy crap, I keep forgetting how old I is…before I forget to mention it…I don't own Chuck or anything in the 'Chuckverse'…and I'm steadfastly refusing to make money doing this, the whole writing thing…Onec again, a thanks to STN for all of the contributions to my sloth-like improvement as a writer…the help is greatly appreciated, I'm just sorry that the results of that help are so slow in appearing…you know…old dog, new tricks…blah, blah, blah…never been one to do shout outs but here goes, thanks to frea,BAW,quistie, retro panda, aerox,gray alchemist,msromancewriter,bdl,docinoz…and I know I'm forgetting many more of you who write such great stories that put a smile on my face…thanks for keeping me on my toes(sorryP.B.B., don't go getting all worked up because I said toes…dammit, there I go again)…remember, reviews and /or suggestions are always welcome…heck, I don't even mind negative reviews…ok, caught me…just a desparate cry for attention…I sure feel bad about that…you can mention that in your REVIEW if you must.

Jim, thanks for the nudge. JT

**Bryce Larkin - Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 10**

"SARAH!" Chuck heard himself call out, the sudden, blinding blast of white light had robbed him of the vision of the beauty who had been inches from his face. He felt his fingers grasp for her and, finding nothing, he called for her again, panic giving his voice more volume. Just as he readied himself to call for her again he felt hands gripping his shoulders and begin shaking him. He heard a familiar voice calling his name and he struggled to understand how his sister had become part of the explosion that he'd been unable to stop. "Ellie, NO!" he cried out, the sudden burst of fear for his sister giving him strength as he fought against the hands that had a hold on his shoulders.

"Chuck" Ellie said as she tried to shake her brother from the dream that had him in such a panic. She wondered what could possibly have caused her little brother such terror. She couldn't remember him ever having such a bad dream but she was pretty sure that the woman whose name he had been calling out was at the heart of the problem. "Chuck, wake up" she said again, her hands still gripping his shoulders as she watched tears begin to seep from the eyes that where clenched shut. Noticing the sudden tension in his upper body, she let go of the shoulders she'd been shaking and then stepped back just as Chuck sat up, his eyes suddenly wide open but clearly not seeing anything. Watching while he blinked his eyes several times before slowly looking around him, she waited, desperately wanting to know what had upset him but knowing better than to push him about it.

"So…morning , El" Chuck said when his eyes finally settled on his sister who was standing beside his bed with a worried look on her face. "Checking to make sure that I don't have some hot blonde stashed in here…again?" he asked, hoping that his voice sounded lighter than he was feeling.

"Chuck, you didn't have a blonde 'stashed' in here yesterday morning, she was sitting on your lap, trying to eat your face while you were demonstrating what a horrible pick-pocket you would make."

"What are you talking about, El?" he asked, secretly glad that she had backed off even though he knew that she must have been dying to ask him what he'd been dreaming about. "Bad pick-pocket?" he asked and then, remembering where his hand had been, he smiled, "oh yeah…never mind. Next time, maybe you'd better knock first."

"I did knock, Chuck. I'm sorry that I didn't wait but it's never been an issue before, the whole 'finding you with some chick in your bed' thing. Is this something that I'll have to start expecting more of?"

"Ellie…" Chuck started, only to be interrupted by a knock at the front door.

"Are you expecting someone?" Ellie asked as she looked over her shoulder towards the front of the apartment. Look back at her brother, she saw her answer in the confused look on his face. "Alright, I'll check the door. You take a shower and then we'll have breakfast and you can tell me what had you yelling for Sarah in your sleep" she said over her shoulder as she walked out of his room, the tone in her voice letting him know that her request wasn't really a request at all.

Chuck threw back the sheets and swung his legs over the side of the bed, letting his feet rest on the floor as he debated just how much of what had happened the night before he would actually tell his sister. He was so lost in thought that he didn't her his sister answer the door with a less than happy, 'oh, it's you. Well, c'mon in, Chuck's in his room'. He'd just gotten to his feet and shrugged out of his t-shirt and boxers, getting ready for a quick shower when the sound of someone taking a quick breath behind him snapped him back to reality. Already pretty sure what he'd find, he looked into the mirror above his dresser and had his fears confirmed.

"Good morning, Miss Walker" he said, sure that she'd notice the slight stammer in his voice and the bright red color that he was sure covered his entire face. He watched in the mirror and when Sarah didn't seem to notice his greeting, her mouth hanging open and her eyes staring straight ahead, he cleared his throat…twice. "If you're here to help me get dressed, do you mind waiting until after I take my shower?" he asked with a smile, realizing that it was a little late to 'duck and cover'. He almost burst out laughing when Sarah finally realized that she was staring and spun around so quickly that she almost collided with his bedroom door.

"I'm so sorry, Chuck. I didn't mean to…I didn't know that your were…not that there's anything wrong with you being…I didn't mean that I liked seeing you…I did…I do…I…uh...I'm just going to go and find your sister and have her kill me now" she stammered to a halt and started to walk away.

"So. You're not here to pick out my clothes for me?" Chuck called after her as he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist. "I'll be in the shower for at least ten minutes if you really feel like making sure I'm wearing the right clothes" he yelled towards the kitchen as he made his way into the bathroom.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Ellie looked up to find a red-faced Sarah Walker walking into the kitchen, her eyes looking a little glazed. Trying not to laugh, the older brunette opened one of the cupboards and reached in, grabbed a coffee mug and offered it to the shell-shocked blonde. "What happened, Sarah?" she asked and waited as the blonde took the offered cup and made her way to the coffee maker and poured herself a cup. Despite her feelings for the woman, she couldn't help smiling as she watched her pick up a salt shaker from the counter and proceed to liberally 'salt' her beverage. She waited and, sure enough, the first swallow from the cup shook Sarah out of her fog, the sudden sour look on her face causing Ellie to snort and then begin to laugh.

"It's not funny, Ellie" Sarah said as she poured the ruined coffee into the sink, which only lead to more laughter. "You could have warned me that he was naked".

Ellie struggled to catch her breath, finally managing to regain control. "I didn't know, Sarah." she replied. "Honestly, I didn't know. Are you going to be ok?" she asked, the smile still on her face.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that I'll recover" she answered as she poured herself another cup , making sure she checked before adding anything to her drink this time, not in a hurry for another mouthful of salty coffee. "Um…did he tell you about what happened last night?"

"No, but if it was the cause of his nightmare, I'd like to hear about it."

"Nightmare? What nightmare?" Sarah asked, concern replacing the memories of what she'd seen just a few minutes before.

"He was calling out your name this morning and when I went to check on him, he was in the middle of what looked to be a really bad dream. When he woke up after I shook his shoulders, he looked like he'd been through something terrible."

Sarah took another swallow of her coffee and then seemed to be considering what to say. "Your brother saved a lot of people last night. It was a close thing…closer than I like to admit."

"What was a 'close thing' Sarah? What exactly did you and my brother do last night?" Ellie asked, wanting to know just what her little brother had done that had 'saved a lot of people' , as Sarah had put it. She waited patiently for Sarah who seemed to be lost in thought, a distant look in her eyes. Just as the woman who was sharing the kitchen with her seemed to have reached a decision, Chuck wandered in with a towel wrapped around his waist and another one draped over his shoulders. Judging by Sarah's reaction, Ellie knew that the story about the previous night would now have to wait.

"Well, Miss Walker, I didn't see any clothes laid out for me so I just wanted to check and make sure that my sister hadn't pressed you into service, helping her cook breakfast" Chuck said with a smile.

Ellie struggled to keep the smile from her face as she watched Sarah's reaction to her brother's appearance. When Chuck had to snap his fingers in an attempt to get the woman's attention, Ellie couldn't hold it any longer and started laughing. She watched as the agent looked from Chuck to her and then back again, the pout on her face looking out of place and only causing her to laugh harder.

"I'll …uh, I'll just go and see what I can find for you to wear" Sarah said as she turned quickly and almost ran from the kitchen, leaving a confused Chuck and a bemused Ellie in her wake.

Chuck watched the blonde leave and then turned to find his sister staring at him with a smile on her face. "What?" he asked which seemed to cause his sister a great deal of amusement.

"She's helping you get dressed now?" Ellie said as she grabbed the 'Darth Vader : Universe's Strangest Dad' coffee mug and, after filling it, handed it to her brother. "Is this the first thing you want to explain" she waited as her brother took a sip from his cup and when he seemed hesitant to start talking, she added "or would you prefer to start with what happened last night?"

"Well, Sarah asked me out to dinner and…"

"So, you're gonna start with what happened last night?"

"Well, I'll get to that but first, I have to explain the whole 'dressing' thing. So, Sarah asked me out and she was going to pick me up after work yesterday and then give me a lift back here so I could get changed. I was teasing her about helping me get dressed. Well, the date didn't happen and that leads us to this morning. Sarah knows I have today off and I volunteered to finish the 'Chuck Bartowski Nickel Tour of Burbank' and, I guess, she wanted to get an early start so, that's why I was teasing her about picking out my clothes."

"Well, I suppose that explains that, but why did she stagger into the kitchen with an embarrassed look on her…wait, did she walk in on you…"

"Yeah, naked as the day I was born, only taller and hairier. I had my back turned but I was standing near my dresser…"

"In front of the mirror?" Ellie finished for him with a snort.

"Yeah, I think she may have gotten the 'full Bartowski', as it where."

"Well, that explains a lot" she replied and then noticed the confused look on her brother's face. "She wandered in here, blushing like crazy with this strange look on her face, like a cross between embarrassment and…"

"And what, El?"

"Chuck, I'm going to say this and then, hopefully, we'll never speak of it again because, honestly, it's a little weird to say. She looked like she was ready to attack you."

"Attack me? Like hurt me, El?"

"Chuck, I know you're a genius and all but sometimes, you can be so dense. She looked like she wanted to find a flat surface, any flat surface, and screw your brains out. And then, baby brother, you walked into the kitchen…like that" she said as she wave a hand in his general direction, obviously talking about his choice of coverings, "and I thought she was gonna go all 'cavewoman' on you, club you on the head and then drag you off somewhere."

"Ah, come on, El. You can't be serious" Chuck said with a shake of his head.

"Chuck, I know you don't see it, and that's probably part of the reason, but I've heard it from lots of the nurses at the hospital…you're a 'hottie' and Sarah Walker has the 'hots' for you." Ellie shook her head when she saw the look of disbelief on her brother's face. "Chuck, you're 'John Cusack and she's your 'Sure Thing' and that's the last we'll speak of this. Now, I want to hear about what happened last night. Sarah said you 'saved a lot of people' and I want to know what she was talking about. Is that what gave you that nightmare?"

"El, let me go get changed and then I promise to tell you what I can, ok?"

"Ok. You better hurry. Sarah's been alone in your room all this time…maybe she's been hypnotized by your underwear drawer and now she's just waiting for you to appear so she can pounce on you" she said with a smirk. "Pancakes?" she called after him as he headed towards his room.

"That sounds great, El" he answered, "give me a couple of minutes to get dressed."

"Want me to come 'rescue' you if you're gone for more than five minutes?"

"Ha ha, very funny, El" he yelled back, sure that his sister would be teasing him about this morning for years to come. Stepping into his room, he froze at the sight before him. His bed had been made and Agent Sarah Walker was sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands resting in her lap. Next to her , a pair of jeans, a blue stripped, button down shirt, a pair of clean socks and his cleanest pair of Chucks sat waiting. "You really did pick out some clothes for me to wear" he said with a smile. "What, no underwear? I hope you're not expecting me to go 'commando', are you?"

'I thought that you should make that decision yourself…not the 'commando' decision…just the whole 'underwear' decision…although, I do like those dark blue silk boxers that are in the back of the draw…or, the dark blue 'underarmour' would work" Sarah said as she continued to look down at her hands.

Chuck stepped over and sat down next to her on the edge of the bed. "Sarah, I was only kidding. Are you alright? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, Chuck, I fine and you…you haven't done anything wrong. Um, Ellie said that you were having a nightmare this morning. Was it about last night? Do you want to talk about it?"

Chuck got to his feet and walked around the bed, stopping in front of the dresser drawer that had been left open. "The dark blue 'underarmour' you said?" he said as he pulled the pair from the drawer. Turning back, he found Sarah staring at him, a sad look in her eyes. "Ok, if it means that much to you, I'll wear the boxers" he said with a smile, hoping to get a smile in return. When the sad look didn't leave her face, Chuck went back around the bed and sat back down. "Sarah…it was so fucking close last night, and, I still can't believe that stupid idea worked. What if it hadn't? "

"But it did, Chuck, it did."

"All of those people…and Major Casey…and you" Chuck said softly as he looked down at the floor. "The dream was so real, so horrible. I was looking into your eyes and I reached for you but…you were just gone."

"Chuck" Sarah answered softly as she slid closer to him and gently put an arm around his shoulders, "I'm right here. You saved everyone…you saved me. I know about bad dreams but it'll get better. I promise you it will" she said and then used her other hand to gently pull his face around so she could look into his eyes. "I promise" she said again and then leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips. She wasn't surprised when Chuck didn't respond to her kiss but she surprised herself when she kissed him again, with a little more urgency than the first kiss. Just as she was about to break the kiss, Chuck started to respond and then she felt his hand find it's way to her cheek. When his thumb lightly grazed her ear lobe, Sarah deepened the kiss, her tongue asking for and being granted access to his mouth. She felt Chuck's hesitancy give way and within moments the kiss had become hungry and urgent. Her hand slid from his cheek to the back of his neck where her fingers soon wrapped themselves around his curls, digging in and pulling him tighter against her. She felt his other hand against the small of her back, moving in slow circles as he drew her to him while her own hand that had been resting on his shoulder, slipped lower and tried to find purchase against his bare back, her nails digging in as she tried to pull him even closer.

Chuck felt Sarah moan into his mouth as his hand dipped down into the back of her jeans. The kiss had taken him by surprise but when he'd responded to Sarah's tongue, the visions from his nightmare rapidly faded, leaving only the desire to hold Sarah as close to him as he could. As his hand slid further into her jeans, he felt her moving against him, lifting a leg up so she could swing around and straddle his lap. Pausing to take a breath, he was pleasantly surprised when the hand she had at the back of his neck slid away and then found his hand and pulled it towards her breasts. Once she'd found where she wanted his hand and moaned approvingly as he began to gently play with the nipple that strained against the material of her t-shirt, Sarah renewed her attack on his mouth, first nipping at his lower lip and then plunging her tongue back into his mouth. He felt Sarah's hand begin to slowly slid down his chest and just as her hand began pulling at the towel around his waist, it happened…again.

"Hey, do you guys want some chocolate chips in your …holy crap! Sorry guys…but, the door was open" Ellie said as she held her hand over her eyes. "Chuck, just so you know…the stuff I was telling you this morning?, this is way more uncomfortable. I'll be in the kitchen. "

Chuck watched over Sarah's shoulder as his sister turned around and headed back towards the kitchen, leaving his door open which, he was sure, had been a really subtle 'Ellie' hint. He felt Sarah's hand release the edge of the towel just as he realized what he still had in his hand, uh, make that hands he told himself as he remembered he actually been 'multi-tasking', at least as far fondling went. Once he'd returned his hands to their usual, un-occupied positions, he felt Sarah's hand begin their own withdrawal, leaving them leaning against each other, both trying to catch their breath.

With a sigh of disappointment, Sarah climbed back out of Chuck's lap and then slid back to the place she'd been sitting in when he'd walked in. "I'm sorry, Chuck" she said softly as she looked into his eyes.

"Sorry for what, exactly? Sorry for the whole 'attacking Chuck and driving him crazy with desire' thing? Or sorry that I've just discovered that my sister's new nickname is going to be 'CB'?"

"Well, not for the 'attacking and driving' thing because, to be honest, I really liked that…a lot, and not for Ellie's new nickname because I'm not sure what CB even means…" and then Sarah paused and giggled when she realized just what 'CB' did mean, "yeah, ok, I not sorry about her new nickname but I think I'll wait to see how she reacts to you calling her that before I start using it, ok?"

"That's probably a good idea" Chuck replied, a smile on his face as he imagined Ellie's reaction to Sarah if she was actually the first one to use the nickname. "So, what exactly are you 'sorry' about, Sarah? I don't mind you picking out clothes…hell, I don't even mind you going through my 'delicates'…in fact, that's sorta cool, the whole 'clothes picking thing' because my sister would be the first to say that I have no fashion sense and she wishes they made 'Grrranimals' in my size so she could trust me to not screw up whenever I go shopping for new clothes…" and suddenly Sarah was kissing him again.

"Would you please stop rambling" she said after the brief kiss. "I'm sorry that you had the nightmare because of last night and, I'm sorry because Ellie's right…about me, I mean. I sorta overheard what she said to you earlier, about me, and I think what just happened and what would have happened if she hadn't walked in just goes to prove it."

"Proves what, exactly?"

"Chuck, she's right about you being 'dense' about women and she's absolutely right about me wanting to 'attack' you. In fact, if you don't get up, right this instant, and put some clothes on…I'm going to get up and walk over and close that door and then I'll lose what little control I have right now and …no!" she said as she got to her feet and walked to the door. "You get dressed, right now! I'm going to help 'CB' with the breakfast, if she'll let me" she said before she turned and walked out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her.

Chuck sat on the edge of his bed, amazed at what he'd just experienced. Not only did an unbelievably beautiful woman seem to have trouble keeping her hands off of him, but the same woman was now going to risk 'Elliewrath' by walking into her kitchen. He found himself shaking his head while he fought to keep a huge smile from splitting his face. Getting to his feet, he walked back around the bed and stood in front of the still open dresser drawer. He been given three choices and he just stood there, unable to make up his mind. Just as he was about to reach into the drawer, there was a soft knock at his door. "Yeah" he called out and the door opened , just a crack and he heard Sarah's answer to his unasked question. 'The 'underarmour' she said and then, after a few moments, the door was closed again. 'I'll have to ask her how close she was to walking back in' he told himself as he grabbed the requested underwear and started getting dressed.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Chuck found his sister and Sarah sitting on opposite sides of the dining room table, both smiling as they talked about something, 'or someone' he silently added. "So, how do I look?" he asked, his voice seeming to startle the two women who both looked towards him.

"Very nice, Chuck" his sister answered with a nod of approval, both towards him and towards Sarah, obviously liking the clothes she'd selected. "Now, come sit down and have some breakfast…and then you can tell me all about what happened last night."

**A/N: redux-Guess who's coming to breakfast? Can you say 'Mr. Grumpy-pants? Is 'CB' gonna like the guest or…ah, just wait and find out. However, if you don't mind, now would be the perfect time to do that reviewie thingie….pretty please…with sugar on top….mmmmmm, great, now I have a craving for éclairs…gotta go. JT**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Hey everybody…just read another awesome chapter from quistie's TSOM and gotta say…damn, I'm still smiling…had to run away and try to polish this…well, whatever this is…long weekend ahead, no promises but hopefully Swimmer, TRFW and maybe some more BLDBAL…ygbsm pointed out that Mr. Grumpy Pants Comes To Breakfast would be an ecellant, albiet strange title for a children's story and if I'm super motivated…Mr. Grumpy Pants Comes To Breakfast will become an actual one shot…Casey babysitting Bartowski twins…ok, there's so much…rainy play day, disney movies, Chuckycheese(Casey+wackamole)…might be fun but will pale compared to frea's Violet and the other 7 urchins that are surrounded by singing…gotta go…don't own Chuck and/or any part of the Chuckverse…don't make money doing this…don't even know what this is…do know the difference between this and shinola…still beta-less…still having fun…and still begging for your approval(or disapproval) by begging for your time…please review. JT

Jim, thanks for the nudge.

**Bryce Larkin - Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 11**

Chuck walked over to the coffee maker and refilled his 'Darth' mug. Turning around, he found both Sarah and his sister staring, Sarah at something on or near the counter where he was standing and Ellie at Sarah.

"Sarah, really, you're going to have to stop doing that…at least in front of me." Ellie said with a clearly exasperated tone.

"Um, what?" Sarah said as she turned to look at the woman who was seated across from her. Seeing Ellie's raised eyebrows she realized that she'd been caught staring at Chuck's ass…by his sister…again.

"Would someone please tell me what's going on" Chuck said as he walked over to the table, pulled out a chair and took a seat. He watched as the two women exchanged knowing looks.

"He really is that dense, isn't he?" Sarah asked with a smile

"As far as 'those' things go, he really is" Ellie replied as she poured some syrup over the stack of pancakes on the plate she'd just put in front of her brother.

"Hey" Chuck said as he tried to pout, "you do realize that 'he' is sitting right here, don't you?"

Both Ellie and Sarah exchanged looks and then started to laugh when Chuck glared at them both. Just as Chuck was about to demand that someone tell him what was so funny, there was a knock on the front door.

"I'll get that" Ellie said as she slid her chair back and got to her feet. "Don't worry Chuck, if it's one of your other 'girls' here for the 'nickel tour', I'll tell her to come back tomorrow" she added over her shoulder as she made her way to the front door. She didn't see the sudden flash confusion that Chuck saw on Sarah's face, a look that disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, replaced with a look of curiosity.

They both heard Ellie's 'morning, can I help you?' that was followed with a gruff 'sorry to disturb you but I need to speak to your brother'. "Casey?" they both said in unison, their faces both showing a look of confusion. "What does Mr. Grumpy Pants want?" Chuck asked Sarah quietly and only got a shoulder shrug in response. They both looked up when Major John Casey followed Ellie Bartowski into the room.

Ellie returned to her seat and waited, curious about what was going on because she was sure that 'something' was definitely going on.

"Walker, what a surprise to see you here…so early in the morning" Casey said, making his sarcasm so evident that a deaf person would have caught on.

"Cut the crap, Casey. What do you want?" Sarah asked.

"I just came over to see if I could borrow a cup of…"

"Spy!" Ellie blurted out and the other three people in the room froze. The lack of response was all the response that she needed. "Just great, another god damn spy. And you are?" she asked, her tone leaving no doubt that she expected to be answered.

"Uh, John Casey, ma'am…I, uh, just moved in across the courtyard and I met your brother yesterday" Casey answered, "I just stopped over to see if I could borrow a cup of sugar" he said, slowly winding down when he saw the look in Ellie Bartowski's eyes.

"Wanna try again, John?"

"Ellie…" Sarah started to say something and quit once Ellie turned her glare on her.

"Calm down, El" Chuck managed to get out before he felt the glare directed his way.

"Chuck, you keep quiet unless I ask you something. I may not be a nerd but you know that I'll compare my IQ with you any day. Sarah…" she said in a menacing tone when she shifted her glare to the blonde, "don't you say a word. Not. A. Word." When she saw that the two people at the table had decided that keeping their mouths shut was a great idea, she turned back to the big man. "Now, John, you may have 'met' my brother yesterday but you obviously know Sarah so, I'll ask this once…who do you work for and why are you in my apartment?"

John Casey was stunned. He wasn't very surprised that Chuck had decided to shut up and find something interesting to look at on the plate in front of him but he just couldn't believe that Sarah Walker, Langstom Graham's wild-card enforcer, had also fallen to the will of the woman who now faced him. The quick glance to the table had revealed that one of the CIA's best agents had joined the nerd in 'plate-gazing', leaving him alone to face the force of nature that was Eleanor Faye Bartowski.

"Major John Casey, ma'am. NSA" he answered, trying to maintain eye-contact with the brunette who didn't seem to be the least bit intimidated by his size.

"So, not only do I have a CIA super spy trying to jump my little brother's bones…"

"Hey" both Chuck and Sarah said at the same time and then quickly went back to their 'plate-gazing' when confronted with Ellie's stare.

"…I now have a NSA spy living just across the way. What's next? Video surveillance of the courtyard?, microphones in my apartment…?" Ellie asked and when she saw the furtive looks between Sarah and Casey and her brother, her hands slammed down onto the table causing everything else resting there to take a quick leap up before rattling back down. All three people watched, waiting for the next step in the 'eruption' of 'Mount St. Ellie' and they were all surprised when she simply took a deep breath and then a second before returning her stare to John Casey.

"I can't do anything about the cameras in the courtyard, can I" she asked, not waiting for an answer since she was already certain what it would be. "However, John, I will be leaving for my shift at the hospital in just a little while and when I return, I know that there won't be any forms of surveillance, anywhere inside of my apartment…will there?"

"Well, ma'am…"

"Will there?" she repeated, making it easy to tell that she really didn't believe that she needed to ask the question a second time.

Sarah sat, frozen in place because she was afraid to attract Ellie's attention, when something unbelievable happened. While she watched, Major John Casey's rock hard resolve was pounded to dust by battering ram of Ellie Bartowski's iron will.

"No ma'am"

"Very good, John. Now that we have that out of the way, would you like some chocolate chip pancakes before I have to leave for work?"

"Pancakes?" Casey asked, not sure what had just happened.

"What, don't you like pancakes?" Ellie asked as she got to her feet and walked towards the stove. Acknowledging the 'yes ma'am' with a nod of her head. "John, there's fresh coffee in the maker and clean mugs in the cabinet right above the maker. Help yourself" she said, not bothering to watch as he made his way over to the counter, grabbed a mug and poured himself some of the offered coffee. After acknowledging the quick 'thank you', Ellie went back to work on filling a plate with pancakes, eggs, bacon and some hash-browns.

Chuck watched as John Casey returned to the table and pulled out a seat for himself. Catching Sarah's eye, he nodded towards the cup in Casey's hand with the 'Nerds Rule The World' logo. Seeing Sarah's answering smile, he was about to say something when Casey beat him to it.

"Shut it, moron. I know what the cup says."

"Then why did you take it? Are you coming out, John? Do you secretly want to be a nerd? Do you have a drawer full of pocket protectors at home that you take out and wear when no one is around?"

"Shut it, Bartowski, before I make your sister an orphan" the big man hissed and then turned to glare at Sarah who was struggling to contain the laughter that so desperately wanted to get out. "And you better shut it as well before I tell them all about…"

"All about what, John?" Ellie said as she dropped the plate in front of him. "All about her old missions?" Ellie asked as she made eye contact with Sarah and noticed the sadness that seemed to have chased away the laughter that had been dancing in her eyes just moments before. "We already know" she said while maintaining her eye contact with the blonde agent, "and we understand and don't care" she finished, making sure that Sarah knew she was speaking more to her than to Casey, "and you're an asshole for threatening to bring it up. Should I be sorry that I invited you into my home and offered you breakfast?"

And for the second time in under ten minutes, John Casey backed down from another human being. "I'm sorry" he said, almost choking on the words, not for saying them but for actually meaning them.

"Ok then" Ellie answered, letting everything go like it had never happened after winking at Sarah Walker and receiving a small smile in return. Sliding back into her chair she reached for her fork and then paused. "John, quick version, what happened last night?"

With a fork full of eggs halfway to his mouth, Casey paused as if to think about what to say and, having come to a snap decision, cleared his throat. "Don't repeat any of this…there was a lot of people in a hotel conference room to listen to a General speak, there was a really nasty bomb that a Serbian demolitions expert built to blow up the General and anyone within a hundred yards of him, your brother helped us find the bomb, he then disabled the bomb with three seconds left on the timer by using porn, everyone was saved, the end" he finished, took a breath and then popped the forkful of eggs into his waiting mouth.

Chuck felt like ducking as he waited for what he was sure would be an epic outburst from his sister. He figured she'd start with telling him how stupid he was for throwing himself into harms way, then she'd graduate to yelling at Sarah and Casey for getting him involved and then she finish off the display with a long and colorful cursing out of the absent 'Bryce Larkin, Douche Bag At Large'. Instead, he watched from the corner of his eye as his sister seemed to digest Casey's cliff notes version and then take a swallow of her coffee. After what seemed like forever and not having the patience to wait any longer, Chuck finally blurted out "what?"

"What?" his sister replied.

"Aren't you going to yell at me…or something?"

"Why would I do that Chuck? Sure, even the short version of last night's events is pretty terrifying but the truth is, you're still alive and, according to Sarah and John, you're the reason that a lot of other people are alive as well. Me getting upset, as much as I might like to, won't change a thing. The fact that you're sitting here is what's most important. I would of course appreciate it if you would refrain from doing scary shit like that again"

Thank you Ellie, that's what I was trying to tell him this morning" Sarah said with a self satisfied smile.

"Oh really?" Ellie asked with a mischievous grin, "is that what the kids today are calling what I caught you two doing this morning?"

"Hey" both Sarah and Chuck said, trying to pull off a tandem innocent look and failing miserably.

"Next time, close the door…and leave a sock on it" Ellie answered and then realized what she'd said, "on the door, leave a sock on the door."

Casey was refusing to pay attention to the back and forth going on around him, concentrating instead on the delicious food that was rapidly disappearing form his plate. He silently thanked whatever gods were watching over him because if he hadn't planted the bugs yesterday, he wouldn't have felt the need to 'show up' this morning to make sure that Walker and the idiot didn't say anything they shouldn't…of course, he hadn't expected that Ellie Bartowski would be so formidable and he certainly never expected to apologize but, 'what the hell' he told himself, this food was definitely worth it. 'Besides', he reasoned with himself, 'the bugs I take out today could always go back in, some time in the future'. Just as he asked himself if he dared ask for seconds, the idiot dropped the 'bomb'.

"A sock, CB, is that really necessary?" Chuck asked and then froze when he realized what he'd just let slip. Ellie rounded on him and stared. "El, I'm sorry, I was just kidding"

Even Casey found himself watching as Chuck began slowly moving out of arms reach of his sister, a worried look on his face.

"That's really gross, Chuck. To call your only sister, the woman who practically raised you," Ellie began laying it on thick and only Sarah realized that she was yanking her brother's chain, thanks to a brief glance from the brunette, "the woman who made so many sacrifices for you…I just don't get it. So, I have to ask, if I'm 'CB', does that make you…BB?" she finished with a snort that turned into laughter when she saw the look on Chuck's face as he realized what she'd just said. Sarah soon joined the laughter and even John Casey had a small smile on his face which he attempted to hide by shoveling the last of the food from his plate into mouth.

"Oh, laugh it up, everyone. Make fun of the guy who diffused a bomb last night…"

"Using porn" Ellie blurted out and then went back to laughing.

Chuck thought about possible come backs, he thought about using maturity and letting the jokes roll right off his back and then he chose his course of action…he pouted. Of course it was just an act but he was hoping that maybe Sarah might fall for it. He knew his sister wouldn't and he was sure that John Casey couldn't care less but maybe, just maybe, Sarah would. She didn't and he gave up and decided to fight dirty.

"Ok, ok. You got me El. I'm sorry I said it" he said as he stared at his sister and gave her a quick wink. "And to make it up to you, I promise that it won't ever be a problem again. I won't ever have Sarah over, again."

"What?" Sarah asked, the smile suddenly gone from her face. Before she could say anything else, Chuck and Ellie both turned towards her and smiled. "Oh, very funny" she said and then tried to use 'the pout' but gave up when Ellie and Chuck both started laughing. Her head whipped around when she heard Casey start chuckling and then she gave him the classic 'one-fingered' salute which only served to make all three people at the table laugh even more. Knowing it was useless to get mad, she just allowed herself to smile and then join in the laughter, realizing that she couldn't remember the last time she'd actually had this much fun.

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Chuck and Sarah stood side by side at the sink, finishing the washing and drying of the last few dishes. Ellie had left for work almost a half hour earlier and Casey had just walked out after reminding them that General Diane Beckman and Director Langstom Graham had scheduled a video conference for later that morning.

"Can you believe how much food Casey put away? I thought he was going to explode…seriously, I think if he'd had one more bite, even a little mint, we'd be busy cleaning 'Casey' off of the walls and ceiling for days. He would've just gone 'pop' like the guy in 'The Meaning Of Life'." Chuck said as he handed the last wet dish to his drying partner. He couldn't believe the blank look on her face. "Monty Python? The Meaning Of Life?"

"Sorry Chuck, doesn't mean a thing to me…should it?"

Chuck just stared at her as she slowly dried the last plate. "Oh Sarah, Sarah, Sarah…what am I going to do with you?"

"I can think of a few things" she answered in a husky voice as she put the plate down and moved closer to the man who suddenly couldn't remember what he'd been about to say. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Sarah pulled Chuck to her and soon had her lips very close to his ear as she started to whisper to him the list of the things she'd thought of that she wanted to do. By the time she'd reached the fifth item on her list, Chuck had begun to 'fight' back, his own mouth mirroring Sarah's as he whispered his own list of things to do. When he nipped at her ear and then began to nibble on her neck, she forgot all about her list and after sliding in between Chuck and the counter, she encouraged Chuck to lift her up so she could sit on the edge of the sink. Once she'd steadied herself, she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him in even closer. His hot breath against her neck was diving her crazy and she was about to command him to take her back to his room, hang a sock on the door and after double checking that it was locked, throw her on the bed and finish what they'd started a few hours before. Putting her lips right next to his ear, Sarah started to tell him it was time when it happened again and Sarah began to wonder if she was ever going to get laid or if the Bartowski apartment was cursed.

"Hey bro, hey Sarah…don't mind me. I've just got to whip up a protein shake and then the kitchen is all yours…again." Devon said with a smile as he opened the refrigerator door. "You guys want me to make a shake for you while I'm at it?"

**A/N: More soon. Reviews would be wonderful…I always say it because I always mean it. JT**


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Welcome to fun…at least I hope it will be…thanks to everyone who took the time to read the MGP stories…I have some more ideas for more…still planning on getting MGP into Chuckycheese so he can discover wack-a-mole…god, that is so a Casey Game…can't you just see the little moles being driven through the bottom of the machine and into the concrete underneath…hope everyone doesn't hate this chapter…no they don't but soon…swimmer soon…pages written, just gotta transcribe them and I hate typing…just as a reminder. I don't own Chuck or any part of the Chuckverse…and I'm not getting rich doing this…hell, I'm not getting anything doing this…except sore fingers…thanks to Spreadthenerd who has been offer an amazing amount of help with my writing and hopefully, one day, I'll actually be worthy of the belief STN puts in my abilities…and, one day soon, maybe I'll even make use of a semi-colon…but don't hold your breath, anyone…I'm still smiling so…Jim, thanks for the nudge. Oh, guess what? Under the heading, very old dog:new trick, I actually started a blog...I have no idea why but, what the hell... jaytoyz:pope of nothing...and loving it ...no unpublished stories, no progress bars...no pictures of toes(sorry Prince Boo Boo...nothing for you)...just a place where I can ramble. JT

Bryce Larkin – Douche Bag At Large – Chapter 12

Chuck slowly approached the fountain, hoping that the blonde angel sitting there was smiling because if she wasn't, he was sure that he might have to keep himself in between her and the 'Captain' who stood in the doorway behind him. He knew that Devon had no idea why Sarah had growled at him and then slammed the door behind her when she'd fled the apartment and he hoped to keep it that way. When Sarah looked up at him and he saw the small smile on her face, he let out a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding before turning back and Giving Ellie's boyfriend what he hoped was an all clear look. After seeing the acknowledging head shake, Chuck finished crossing the courtyard and took a seat on the fountains edge.

"Chuck, I'm beginning to believe that your sister's place is cursed" Sarah said, breaking the silence that had settled between them. She took note of the smile on her companion's face and wondered what he found so funny. "Well, care to share what you find so funny about what just happened?"

"Well, I was just thinking that 'Casa Bartowski' isn't all that 'CB' seems to stand for, at least not in the last twenty-four hours." He answered with a snicker. When he noticed that Sarah wasn't smiling he decided that maybe his 'theory' wasn't as funny as he thought it was. "So, Miss Walker, since it appears that we're outside perhaps you'd like another installment in the 'Chuck Bartowski Nickel Tour of Burbank'?" he asked as he got to his feet and held out a hand, hoping that his sudden subject change might put a smile back on her face. He watched Sarah dig into her purse and after rummaging around for a about a minute, withdraw her hand and then dump a handful of change into Chuck's open palm.

"There's three dollars and forty-seven cents Chuck so, the hell with the nickel tour, the only thing I want to see is four walls, a bed and a door that has at least three locks on it" she replied as she stood up, the small smile that had reappeared on her face not hiding the hunger in her eyes. "So, what do you say, Chuck? Can we get this 'tour' on the road?" she asked and, once Chuck had pocketed the change, she grabbed his hand and began leading him out of the courtyard and towards the street. When they approached Sarah's Porsche, Chuck slowed to a stop and pulled Sarah to turn and look at him.

"Really, Miss Walker, is that the type of guy you think I am? Give me a handful of shiny trinkets and I'm all yours?" He asked with a huge grin on his face. When he saw the answering grin on her face, he continued, "plus, $3.47?, Do I really seem worth so little ? I thought that my kisses alone were worth more than that, not to mention…" and suddenly Chuck wrapped around him, her arms around his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist as her tongue demanded and was granted access to his mouth. He stared into the depths of Sarah's startlingly blue eyes as his tongue fought for dominance over hers.

Chuck marveled at his body's seeming lack of need of oxygen as he and the beautiful woman in his arms continued their urgent kissing, completely deaf and blind to anything but each other. Time seemed to stretch on forever and then, the sound of someone clearing their throat caught Chuck's attention, snapping time back to the here and now. Breaking the kiss, he looked to his side and found one of his neighbors staring up at him, her tiny foot tapping on the sidewalk in an obvious display of disapproval. Before he could say a word, his neighbor reached out and gave his arm a slight slap.

"Chuck Bartowski" the tiny woman said, making it evident that she was ignoring the woman in his arms…for the moment, "what would your sister say about this improper public display of affection?" Why, in my day, you didn't behave this way on a public street. I have half a mind to call for a policeman and have him issue you a ticket for public indecency. In all years I've known you, I never seen you behaving in such a manner."

Chuck could feel Sarah as her barely repressed laughter caused her to shake against him. Moving slowly, she unwrapped her legs from around his waist and gently lowered them back onto the ground. She was about to step away when the threat of a ticket for 'indecency' caused her to latch onto the closest thing she could find, hoping that biting down on something would help her restrain the wild laughter that was about to make it's escape. Unfortunately for Chuck, Sarah's mouth was almost directly on his neck and that became the target for her bite.

"Ow!" Chuck yelped and then noticed the fresh look of disapproval from his neighbor. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Noosebaum. This is my, my, uh…girlfriend, Sarah. We were just about to go down to the pier and have some lunch"

"Girlfriend? Well, in that case, I guess it isn't so bad…but, maybe next time you should be doing that sort of thing inside?"

"Yes ma'am, you're absolutely right. We're very sorry and we'll try and make sure it doesn't happen again" Chuck said as he very slowly backed away, guiding Sarah towards the passenger door of her car. Stepping aside after opening the door, he waits until Sarah has made herself comfortable and then walks around to the to driver's side and begins to slide in. Before he could close the door, his neighbor stepped closer to the car and offered some parting advice.

"Chuck, I know that you're nice young man but perhaps you and your girlfriend should save it for marriage. I know that seems old fashioned but I think that's the problem with youth of today, too much sinning and not enough clean living"

"Thank you, Mrs. Noosebaum. We'll give it some thought" Chuck answered before pulling the door closed and backing out of the parking spot. He looked in the rear view mirror as he pulled away and watch the old woman as she shook her head and then walked back towards the courtyard entrance. He turned his head to look at his beautiful passenger and a sudden twinge in his neck reminded him that Sarah had bitten his neck during his neighbor's morality speech. Turning his head a little to the side and pulling down his collar gave him his first look at the 'damage'.

Sarah got the first look and she immediately felt terrible. "Oh, Chuck, I'm so, so, sorry" she said as she watched the man sitting next to her maneuver himself around so, he could use the rear view mirror to get a look at his neck.

'"Holy shit!" he yelped when he caught sight of the teeth marks in his neck. "I'm pulling over so you can drive me to the hospital" he said after giving Sarah his best 'wounded' look.

"Oh stop it, you big baby. It's not that bad."

"I'm telling you, I feel faint, right now. I just don't understand how you do it"

" It's just a little nip, Chuck. How I do what?"

"Oh yeah, just a little nip, right. That still doesn't explain how you can walk around in direct sunlight" he said as he looked again at what he was sure would soon be a world class hickey. "I guess I'll have to change my plans for what I was going to buy us for lunch"

"What? Why, Chuck?"

"Because Ninos uses real garlic on their pizzas"

"Oh, ha ha. Now I'm a vampire? I could have sworn you told that old woman that I was your girlfriend, does that mean you're dating one of the undead?" she asked with a smile but was looking forward to hearing how he'd explain his comments to the old woman.

"Yeah, sorry about that. She's a sweet old woman but she'll have talked to everyone in the neighborhood by day's end about the two of us and our public display of affection. I figured that since the chances seem good that you'll be around more often, because of this old thing" he said as he tapped the side of his head, "that we should have a cover of some sort. That what the manuals suggest as common in a situation like this"

"Chuck, trust me, there has never been a 'situation like this' before. You are unique…"

"I know that part. I'm talking about me probably being labeled as an asset which will make you my handler…unless you decide that you don't want the job, in which case they'll just reassign you and send someone else" Chuck said as his good mood started to slip away. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he really wasn't sure how this was all going to play out. He knew what the options were and had a pretty good idea how he could manipulate the odds and keep himself and his family safe but he began to wonder more and more about outside forces and how they might affect the odds. As he let his mind wander he quickly realized that he shouldn't be driving, at least not at that particular moment. Coming to a decision, he pulled the Porsche over the first chance he got and, after shutting off the car, he got out and walked over to the bench that sat on the sidewalk, a few yards from where he'd stopped.

Sarah was suddenly very confused and took a moment to go over what had just happened, double checking to see if she said something that would explain this sudden shift in Chuck's mood. After opening the door, Sarah got out and walked over to take a seat next to Chuck, deciding to remain silent, hoping that Chuck would volunteer to cause for his sudden pensive mood. The minutes seemed to drag by and then Sarah watched as a city bus pulled up and opened it's doors, the driver waiting to see if either of the two people on the bench were new passengers. Sarah's attention was suddenly pulled bag to the car by the sound of her phone ringing. Getting up, she walked back to the car and grabbed her phone out of her purse.

"Walker, secure but in public" she answered after checking the display and seeing Casey's name displayed.

"I just called to remind you that the video conference with Beckman and Graham is at three o'clock. Are you going to make sure that Bartowski's there?"

"Yeah, no problem" she answered and looked back at the bench where she'd left Chuck only to find it empty and the bus pulling away. "Crap, I gotta go" she said into the phone and then hit the disconnect, not bothering to wait to see if Casey had any other information for her. Dropping her phone back into her purse, she walked around to the other side of the car, slid in behind the wheel and, after sliding the seat a little further forward, reached for the ignition and was shocked to find that her keys weren't hanging where they should have been hanging. "Dammit" she yelled as she slammed her palm against the steering wheel. Giving her head a quick shake, she reached for her phone and his the #1 on her speed dial. She put the phone to her ear and was surprised when the call went directly to voice mail. Willing herself to remain calm, she waited for the beep and then simply told Chuck that he must have accidentally taken off with her keys and would he please call her back.

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Sarah had been sitting on the curb near the front of her car, waiting impatiently for Chuck to return her call. She already turned down seven offers of 'help' from guys who'd seen her sitting by herself and figured that she was probably just waiting for the 'right' guy to come to her rescue. They were right about one thing, she was waiting for the right guy to come to her 'rescue', however, none of them fit the bill. Sarah reached for her phone again, ready to call and leave another message on Chuck's phone when a bus pulled up to the curb, the doors opened and people started exiting the bus. Sarah watched and suddenly her eyes lit up when Chuck stepped off the bus and began walking towards her.

"I'm so sorry, Sarah" he said when he sat down next to her on the curb. He pulled his hand from his pocket and offered her the Porsche keys that he'd accidentally taken with him. "I didn't mean to leave you stranded"

Feeling more relieved than anything else, she simply accepted the keys and got to her feet. Reaching her hand down, she waited for Chuck to take it and then pulled him to his feet. "So, weren't you supposed to be taking me to lunch? I did pay a whole $3.47, after all."

"You're absolutely right" he answered with a smile, "you must think that I'm a horrible tour guide, just wandering off like that".

Sarah offered a soft smile in return. "No, not at all. Sometimes things happen. Next time though, please leave the keys. You would not believe the number of guys who stopped and asked if I was looking for a new tour guide."

"Really. And what did you tell them?"

"Well, I told them I'd already paid my money to the best tour guide in the city and that he was just scouting ahead, picking out the perfect place for us to have lunch…was I wrong?"

"Not at all, miss" he answered with a big smile, promising himself that he'd tell her later what had caused him to 'wander' away. He stepped to the side of the car and watched as Sarah opened the passenger door, making her intent to drive plain to see as she held the door for him. Once he'd slid into the seat, he expected the door to close but was surprised when Sarah slid in after him, making herself comfortable in his lap.

With one arm around his neck, she used her other hand to turn his face to the side so she could look at his neck. Pulling his collar down, she leaned close and after offering a very quiet 'sorry', she gently kissed the spot she'd bitten earlier. She was shocked at the mark she'd left behind and hoped he'd forgive her. She was about to return her lips to his neck when her phone rang and she silently cursed whatever deity seemed to be working overtime, keeping her away from Chuck Bartowski.

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Lunch had been wonderful and she'd listened as Chuck stammered through his explanation slash apology for leaving her stranded earlier. She had understood and finally got him to stop rambling by promising to go to the arcade with him if he'd promise to stop apologizing. They'd both kept their promises and Sarah actually found herself having fun when Chuck talked her into playing some odd game called 'Dance Dance Revolution'. It had taken a few games to get the basics down and a few games later Chuck stepped to the side and watched as she somehow managed to set a new high score, laughing with her as she let herself have more fun than she'd had in years. She'd been about to start a new game when a glance at her watch reminded her that there was a briefing that she had to get Chuck to and they'd have to leave if they were going to get there on time. Sarah turned to leave and was shocked to see the crowd of people who'd gathered while she'd been playing. Making her way to Chuck's side, she looped her arm through his and started leading him towards the exit, leaving in her wake a trail of teenage boys who would spend months telling their friends about the 'super hottie' who'd set the latest high score at the arcade.

Chuck and Sarah got back to John Casey's apartment with about five minutes to spare and they spent the time sitting on the fountains edge, quietly planning what they would do that evening. Sarah had insisted on a make up date for the dinner they'd missed the night before and when Chuck had joked about playing 'dress up' before the date, Sarah had simply looked him in the eyes and explained that she would have total veto power over his wardrobe and she'd already picked a few things out when she'd been going through his clothes that morning. Before Chuck could formulate any sort of response, Casey's door had swung open and the big man had stuck his head out.

Casey looked around and seeing no one else in the courtyard , he nodded towards them. "Alright, Walker. Bring your dress up dolly…it's time for the meeting". He stood just inside his door and once they'd both walked through, he closed the door and through the dead bolt. Walking around them, he grabbed the remote from the coffee table and motioned towards the big screen that seemed to dominate the far wall of the room. "Don't speak unless spoken to" he said to Chuck and then thumbed the remote.

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Chuck and Sarah were once again sitting on the fountains edge, talking quietly. The meeting had been a strange experience for Chuck. The screen had offered a split view and General Diane Beckman of the NSA and Director Lanstom Graham of the CIA had spent nearly thirty minutes talking over, around and through Chuck until he'd finally had enough and simply turned to leave. He hadn't actually planned on walking out and he'd had to hide his smile when he heard the two people on the video suddenly start spluttering and demanding to know just 'where the hell' he thought he was going. Turning back around, he noticed the shocked look on Sarah's face and what he assumed was a pissed look on John Casey's face. He hadn't waited for anyone to speak.

"Listen, I don't know either of you and you don't really know me. I know that you have reports and profiles on me but that doesn't really tell you who I am. Now, like it or not, I'm an intersect. I have more 'crap' in my head than I could ever want, all thanks to one of yours. I really wish that Bryce hadn't brought this to me but there's nothing that can be done about it now. I' would really appreciate it if you would just leave me alone…however, being a realist, I know that's not going to happen so, how about this. I'll stay out of a bunker and you'll both refrain from having someone take my brains out for a walk. In return, I'll help when and were I can. You can leave your 'watchers' here to keep me and my family out of trouble and I'll try to avoid being a pain in the ass. Sound ok?" without waiting for a response, he walked to Casey's front door and let himself out, closing the door behind himself.

It had taken another ten minutes for Sarah and Casey to finish up inside and when he'd heard Casey's front door open, he watched as the blonde with the beautiful blue eyes walked towards him. He kept quiet, waiting for the verdict and when Casey hadn't followed Sarah into the courtyard, he actually breathed a sigh of relief, confidant that he'd be staying free, at least for the time being. He waited for the stunning woman to take a seat next to him and once seated, he waited for her to speak. She started with an admonishment to never treat the bosses with such a lack of respect again and then she'd smiled when she told him that it had been decided to see just what an intersect could offer the intelligence community. She and Casey would be his partners, they would oversee his protection while handling his initial training, even though the big man was less than pleased with the arrangement.

"Ok Sarah, that's not great, but considering the other options, I'm happy with the outcome. Now, what about dinner? It's a little after four so, do you want to go back to your place and get cleaned up while I do the same?"

"No Chuck, I'm afraid that is not going to work for me."

"Oh" Chuck said, wondering just what Sarah had in mind. "So, what are we going to do then?":

"Well, Mr. Bartowski. First, we're going right across the courtyard and I will gather up the clothes that you will be wearing this evening. After that, we are going to my place where we will proceed to get ready for our dinner."

"Um. Sarah? Are we going out for an early dinner?" Chuck asked as he looked at his watch, taking note of the early hour.

"No, we are not."

"Then, if you don't mind me asking, why are we going to your place so early? Does it take you that long to get ready?"

"No it doesn't take me that long to get ready" she answered as she started to drag him towards his apartment.

"Uh…the why?"

"Because Chuck, I have four walls, a soft bed and three locks on my door…plus, I have no relatives or roommates living with me so we won't be disturbed. Does that answer your questions?"

A/N: Next time, I'm pretty sure. You know me, I love them reviews…and suggestions.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **Hello to all of you…this chapter may be a little hotter than I usually right but I don't think it swerves into M…however, if there's any interest, I might try a 'side' chapter that follows the rest of the night and the next morning as well…M…aside from that…how about a woot, woot…two updates in one day…sure, most of the chapters had been written but I still had to transcribe them and boy, are my fingers tired…hope everyone likes this and I'll remind you all that reviews are the perfect place to express your thoughts about the story…in case you didn't know, I'm a beta free zone so all mistakes; spelling, grammar and the reactions of real, live women are completely my own...Remember, I don't' own Chuck or any part of the Chuckverse…I'm still a privately funded think tank…yeaah, you can laugh at that one…and I'm still having fun so, thanks, Jim. JT

**Bryce Larkin - Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 13**

Chuck was struggling to keep up with the force of nature that was Sarah walker as she pulled him across the courtyard with an intensity that had him a little scared. His hand was held in a tight grip and he was sure that if he were to trip and fall, he would simply be pulled along until they reached their destination.

The meeting with Sarah and Casey's bosses had gone much better than he'd imagined it going, mainly because he'd not been shot or taken into custody, both possibilities that had topped his list of things that the government might have tried. He still wasn't sure that he was out of danger but he felt a little less trepidation about his future, at least as far as the government was concerned. His immediate future was a source of confusion to him because he wasn't able to figure out just what Agent Sarah Walker wanted. He'd read her files and knew what she was capable of and what she'd be willing to do to complete a mission and he just didn't know if he was another mission to her. And not knowing was really messing with his head.

"Sarah, slow down. Where's the fire?" he asked with a smile as he tried to slow their progress. His smile disappeared when Sarah skidded to a halt and whirled around to face him, the look on her face not showing any amusement at all.

"Between my…never mind, Chuck. There's no fire." she replied before turning back around and resuming her journey. "We're going to get you some clean clothes…in fact, we're going to pack you an overnight bag. Then, we're going to my place to get you cleaned up and then we're going out to dinner" she said just as they'd reached the front door of Ellie's apartment. Barely slowing down, she threw open the front door and pulled Chuck after her towards his room.

"Grab a bag, Chuck" she commanded once they'd entered his room and she'd dropped his hand. Pulling open his closet door, she started going through his clothes, looking for and quickly grabbing a couple of shirts. With the shirts draped over her arm she closed the door and made her way over to his dresser and started pulling open the drawers. Pausing, she looked over her shoulder and found him standing in the doorway. "I thought I told you to grab a bag, Chuck. Well?" she asked with an impatient glare.

"Sarah, as flattered as I am with your desire to take control and, believe me, I am flattered, I was sort of wondering where this is coming from?"

"Where what is coming from?"

"This" he replied with a look towards the clothes that she had in her arms. "You're obviously planning on dressing me for our 'date' which I did sorta say you could do but where does it end? Am I going to be allowed to take my own shower?"

"Well, if you insist" Sarah replied with a smile, hoping her answer would be seen as a joke even though she had no qualms about joining Chuck in the shower, but when she saw the look on his face she realized that maybe her attempt at humor may have fallen flat. "I'm sorry, Chuck, did I say something wrong?"

"No Sarah, you didn't say anything wrong" Chuck answered, not sure how the beautiful woman standing in front of him was going to take what he was about to say. "It's just that I can't help feeling like you're on some sort of schedule, like I'm some sort of mission that you're rushing to complete."

"Chuck, I…" Sarah started and then froze, not sure what she should say next. She could see Chuck waiting for her and she wondered what to say. Reaching her decision, she decided to try something new and go with the truth. "Chuck, I was sent here looking for Bryce and what he'd stolen. That was my original mission. Once I found you, everything changed. My boss re-directed my mission, making your safety my main priority."

"So, your only job is to keep me safe? You're not expected to 'convince' me to join up?"

"NO, I would never do that!" she answered, clearly upset with the question.

"But, Sarah…" Chuck said as he lightly tapped the side of his head with his forefinger.

"Ok, I would never do that…to you. Please believe me, Chuck. I don't know why but I don't think I could do that to you, or to anyone else, ever again" she said before moving past Chuck and sitting down on the edge of his bed, a sad look in her eyes.

"Alright, Sarah. I believe you. It's just that everything has been so sudden since you got here and it's a little confusing. Too be honest, I just don't see what you see, if you know what I mean."

"I don't know, Chuck. It's not like I've been pining for some tall, lanky nerd ever since I first started noticing boys. I've always been attracted to the athletic type, like…"

"Bryce?"

"Yeah, like Bryce" she answered as she looked into Chuck's eyes. "That is, until I met you. The other morning, when you woke up and found me using your thigh as a scratching post, that was a first for me. Yeah, I've had sex before, Chuck, but nothing like that. It's been so long since I haven't faked an orgasm that I was beginning to worry that the job had left me unable to get off but, wow, you have no idea how good that felt. And, if your sister hadn't thrown so many cock blocks, you would be one very sore and satisfied man. I mean it , Chuck. You say the word and I'll drag you out into the courtyard and use you like a sexual amusement park."

Struggling to hide the blush that he was sure was covering every square inch of his body, he stared at the woman sitting next to him, torn between his aversion to PDAs, of any kind, and the temptation to take Sarah up on her offer. Not sure how to respond to what he'd just been told, Chuck did the only thing he was sure he could accomplish and not look foolish…he sat there quietly and tried to clear his mind of all of the images that seemed to be on an endless loop. Taking a steadying breath, he reached a hand towards Sarah's knee, planning on just touching her lightly while he expressed his wonder at her declaration. His hand was halfway to it's destination when Sarah's eyes suddenly flashed and she gently batted his hand away.

"I'm warning you, Chuck, if you touch me right now, I won't be held responsible for the damage I may do to you" Sarah warned in a low, husky tone, her blue eyes flashing a darker color as she fought to steady her breathing.

"Very funny" Chuck said as he brought his hand slowly back to his side, just in case the threat was real.

"Chuck, I'm not joking. I'm wound so tight right now that it's taking all of my self control to not jump you here and now. That door stays open and you are going to keep your hands as far away from my body as possible. Is that understood?"

"Understood" he said with a gulp. "So, I'll find a bag and you can pick out some clothes?"

"That sounds very sensible. I think you should go ahead and take a shower now and while you're doing that I'll pack a bag and leave some clothes out for you on the bed. Take your time. I'll be sitting outside and once you're ready, we'll go out to dinner. Does that sound alright to you?"

That sounds fine" he responded, a little confused about the change from the original plan but he decided that he wouldn't press the issue.

Sarah, sensing his confusion, slowly stood up and backed away from him. "Chuck, if we were to go back to my place, right now, you'd never make it past the shower. We wouldn't get to go out to dinner and I really want that. I want to spend time with you. So, go take your shower and I'll be waiting outside" she finished and waited until he'd left the room before releasing the breath that she hadn't been aware she was holding. A few moments later, Chuck stuck his head back around the edge of the door.

"There's a bag in the back of the closet. I'm going to go and take off all of my clothes so I can rub soap all over my body" he said with a smirk and then ran for what he hoped would be the security of the bathroom when Sarah began moving towards him with a predatory glint in her eyes. He heard Sarah's voice from the other side of the door and watched as the door knob jiggled. "I was just kidding with you, Sarah."

"That's not funny Chuck" the voice carried through the door and he couldn't help but agree. Maybe that was one bear he shouldn't poke with a stick…and he definitely shouldn't say that phrase out loud.

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Chuck had insisted that Sarah drive, wisely believing that a Sarah Walker with her hands full, of anything besides him, was a safe Sarah Walker. They'd driven to Sarah's hotel and he'd insisted on staying in the car while she went inside to get changed for their date. He'd told her to dress casual because he'd planned to keep the evening low key. Fifteen minutes later when she'd returned, looking better than any woman he'd ever dated, or even hoped to date, he already programmed her GPS with the directions to their destination. He watched as she slid gracefully into the car and complimented her outfit, his sincerity putting a big smile on her face.

"So, where are we going, Chuck?" Sarah asked after she glanced at the GPS display.

"Hopefully somewhere that you've never been taken to on a date."

"Chuck" Sarah said as she started the car and pulled out of the parking space. "I've been in Burbank for less than a week. I'm pretty sure it should be easy to take me somewhere I've never been before."

"I meant, never been taken to on a date, anywhere. You just have to promise to keep an open mind and don't say a word. Just relax and let yourself have a good time, ok?"

"I promise"

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Chuck found himself holding his breath as Sarah gently cradled the ball in her hand as she studied the hard, glistening wood in front of her. He'd discovered that the blonde agent would allow the tip of her tongue to curl out of the corner of her mouth, just a little bit, when she concentrated and he found it sexy as hell. He noticed the careful way she made sure that her hand was just where it needed to be. He loved watching her ass wiggle as she readied herself and he felt himself tense in anticipation when she began the moves that would lead to her release.

"Hah…another strike" Sarah said as she turned around and practically bounced back to sit next to Chuck as he stared up at the scoreboard.

"Are you sure that you've never done this before?"

"Chuck" she responded in a low voice as she leaned in towards his ear, "I might lie to French assassins who are trying to murder me, but I wouldn't lie to you about bowling. I can't believe how much fun I'm having. I was so mad at you when I saw where you were taking us. I thought you were joking again, but without all of the sexy undertones. Imagine my surprise when the food turned out to be great and bowling turned out to be a blast despite the strange feeling of wearing shoes that have been worn before. Now, since that was the last frame and that makes it best out of five to me, would you mind taking me home?"

Chuck lifted a leg and started to unlace Sarah's rented shoes. "Sure, I'd be glad to take you home." he answered, refusing to worry about the hungry look that suddenly appeared in her eyes.

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Sarah had made Chuck drive home and he only had to playfully smack at her hands three times when he felt her fingers begin to trace slow circles on the inside of his thigh. Each time he smacked her hand away, Sarah had done something that he never expected…she giggled. Once he found the parking spot for the Porsche, he'd climbed out and made his way around to the passenger door, opened it and then offered Sarah his hand so she could step out. He wasn't very surprised when she put her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. What did surprise him was the words she whispered into his ear after breaking the kiss.

"Thank you, Chuck. I had a wonderful time. I know I've been coming on a little hard…"

"A little hard?" Chuck said when he pulled back to look her in the eyes.

"Well, ok, a lot. Chuck, if you don't want to come up to my room, I'll understand"

"Are you seriously trying to get rid of me?"

"No, Chuck. It's just that tonight has been strangely wonderful and I don't want to ruin it by getting all 'sex-crazed' on you."

"Promise to keep your hands to your self?"

"Chuck, I can't make that promise once we're alone in my room. I will try and control myself and, if worse comes to worse, you could always use that nerve pinch you used on Casey."

"That's true" he said as he appeared to consider Sarah's offer. "Ok, I guess I could come up for a little while…don't say a word, I know what I said and I know what you heard."

Sarah nipped playfully at Chuck's earlobe before breaking the embrace and grabbing his hand as she pulled him towards the front door.

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Chuck was relaxing on the couch with Sarah snuggled in beside him, her head resting on his shoulder and her hand, which had somehow slipped inside his shirt, tracing gentle circles on his chest. He was enjoying the sensations caused whenever she would change from the pads of her fingers to her fingernails. He also found it hard to ignore the feeling of her warm breath on his neck. His right arm was resting on Sarah's shoulders and every now and then he'd lightly trace the outline of her ear with a fingertip. His other hand had a grip on Sarah's hand and they were resting on his stomach.

He felt Sarah shift slightly and then he felt her tongue as it touched his neck, feather soft and warm. Just when he'd gotten used to the sensation, Sarah leaned in closer and nibbled at his neck, not harder to leave a bruise but definitely hard enough to get his attention. He felt Sarah begin to work her way closer to his ear and then felt her tongue as it traced the outline of his earlobe before she sucked it into her mouth. When she nipped at the ear, Chuck fell right into her trap and before he realized what had happened, her hand had slid out of his and was now resting lightly on the upper part of his thigh.

Sarah released the ear she'd been nibbling on and slowly kissed her way down his jaw line. When she reached his chin, she shifted again and brought her mouth to his, sucking gently at his lower lip before her tongue asked gently for entrance and Chuck gladly obliged. As the kiss deepened, Sarah's hand that was resting on Chuck's thigh began a very slow movement, making him wonder how something that felt so good could also feel like torture. When her hand found his growing arousal, all thoughts of torture fled, leaving only a growing need that he no longer felt like denying.

His free hand found it's way to the front of Sarah's top and began working at the buttons and before long he'd undone as many as he could reach and his hand began an exploration of it's own. The first thing he encountered was the clasp of a front closing bra and with a dexterity that might have surprised some, he undid it and then gently slid his hand underneath the now loosened garment. Gently cupping the smooth flesh, his thumb and forefinger found her nipple and within moments had it rock hard as he rolled it between his fingers.

Sarah moaned into Chuck's mouth when she felt him begin to pinch her nipple and she marveled at what her hand had found as she lightly stroked his length. Using the last of her control, she released her hold and broke the kiss. She leaned away and looked into Chuck's eyes. "Are you sure about this?" she asked, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt what her answer would be is he had asked her the same question but afraid of what Chuck might reply. She watched as Chuck reached up a hand and gently placed it behind her neck. Pulling himself to her, he leaned in and caught her earlobe in his teeth and then sucked it into his mouth briefly before releasing it.

"Oh yeah" he whispered, his hot breath on her ear and neck sending a shiver down her spine. "You're so beautiful" he whispered as he pulled her towards him and he was pleasantly surprised when she swiveled around and threw her leg across his thigh so she was facing him, her crotch lightly grinding against him. He watched as she pulled her shirt the rest of the way from her jeans and the slowly let it drop off of her arms, along with the bra, leaving her topless. Chuck stared in awe at the perfection before him and gladly let Sarah pull his hands to her breasts. Once she'd positioned his hands where she wanted them, Sarah placed her hands behind his neck and pulled his head downwards, whimpering when she felt his lips where she wanted them. She ran her hands into his hair and pulled his mouth tighter against her.

"Chuck" she whispered huskily, "please take me to bed". She wasn't sure how he did it but she was shocked moments later when she found herself in his arms as he carried her towards the bedroom. Her face was laid against his chest and she heard and felt him say, 'it's going to be a beautiful night' and she believed him.

**A/N: **What? What?


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **First things first…I have to apologize to everyone who's taken the time to review and I haven't shown my appreciation…I'm really, really, really, really, really, thankful for your time and ideas…every review just makes me want to continue with this…and I like hearing your thoughts on my lunacy…I do have more on the way…hopefully CVABFTP is next up…I have a bunch of pages written out(more than three, if you must ask) and I'm hoping to get a chapter out for you soon…now, this will be a short ramble…don't own Chuck or make money doing this…I just have a great time(especially when people tell me how much they're enjoying a story…hint, hint…review)…also, despite the sometimes glaring need for one, I continue to be beta free…I said it before and I'll say it again…I'm having fun…thanks for the nudge, Jim…hopefully everyone keeps oldest man in their thoughts(an prayers, if that applies)…he's fighting and I really hope he wins. JT

**Bryce Larkin - Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 14**

Chuck opened his eyes to find motes of dust dancing in the shaft of sunlight that was streaming through the window to his right. The unfamiliar weight on his chest made him look downwards and he smiled when he recognized the person who's warm breath was tickling him as it blew gently across his chest hair. A quick glance at the alarm clock that was sitting on the end table to his left reminded him that, no matter how great the previous night had been, he had to be at work in less than half an hour.

Moving gently, he eased himself out from under Sarah and then slid his pillow into her arms, hoping he wouldn't wake her. He watched and waited while she pulled the substitute to her chest and sniffed at it, evidently finding enough of his scent there to allow her to keep sleeping. Trying to move as quietly as possible, he picked up his overnight bag and made his way to the bathroom, planning on a quick shower before leaving for work.

After closing the bathroom door, Chuck rushed through a fast, cold shower and was dressed and ready to leave in less than fifteen minutes. He paused at the front door and, after grabbing a note pad and a pen, scribbled a quick note. Returning to the bed, he saw that Sarah still had an arm wrapped around the pillow, pulling it tight to her chest. Scrawling a quick invitation for lunch and/or dinner, he placed the note on the end table and was about to leave when he heard Sarah moan his name. Glancing down, he was expecting to see her beautiful blue eyes looking at him but was surprised to find them closed. Puzzled, he looked a little closer and couldn't believe it when he realized that one of the her arms, that had been around the pillow, was now under the sheets and obviously adding to her early morning pleasure.

He stood transfixed as Sarah rolled onto her back and moaned his name again while the motion of the hand, not holding the pillow to her, became even more pronounced. Torn between ripping his clothes back off so he could crawl back into bed and rushing downstairs to find a cab so he could get to work on time, he kicked himself in the mental ass, took a quick mental snapshot and then made his way out of her room while he tried to think of anything else besides the masturbating angel, who'd been moaning his name, he'd just left.

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Sarah's eyes snapped open and she rolled to her side, intending to reach an arm out and pull Chuck to her. Instead of finding the man who'd spent the better part of the night doing more for her than any man had done in a long time, she found her arm around a pillow and the other side of the bed empty and cold. Shaking her head in disbelief, she scanned the room quickly and frowned when she noted the open bathroom door and the empty chair where Chuck's overnight bag had been sitting. Rolling out of bed, she made her way to the bathroom and took note of the damp towel left hanging on the curtain rod.

"God damn it!" she said to the empty room, not believing that Chuck had left without saying a word, especially after the night they'd spent together. Crossing the room to the kitchen counter, she snatched her phone from the charger and hit the speed dial, planning on ripping a certain curly headed nerd a new one when he answered her call. After her call went to voice mail, she slammed the phone down and made her way back to the bathroom, intent on taking a shower and then, once she'd gotten dressed, finding Chuck Bartowski and letting him know just how much she didn't like the way she was feeling.

Steeping into the shower, Sarah closed her eyes as the hot water cascaded down her body. After shampooing her hair, she grabbed her body wash and worked up a lather as she used her hands to try and wash away the memories of Chuck's hands on her body. Losing herself to thoughts of the night before, she soon found herself imagining having company in the shower and before she realized what was happening, she felt her knees buckle as she came

'What the hell?' she asked herself before reaching a hand out and cranking the shower handle all the way to the right and taking a deep breath when the cold water slammed into her. As she shook the pleasured haze from her mind, she finished her now cold shower, promising herself that she'd soon find out just who the hell Chuck Bartowski thought he was. She wasn't a conceited person but nobody had ever 'just left' after spending the night with her. Sure, she asked men to leave and she'd been the 'leaver' several times but she'd never been left and she didn't like the feeling…not one bit.

As she toweled herself dry, Sarah started imagining everything she'd say to Chuck once she caught up with him. She still couldn't believe that he'd just left because that didn't seem like something he'd do. True, she'd not known him that long, but she never expected him to act like that. Once she'd finished getting dressed and applied a small amount of make-up, she grabbed her purse and her headed for the door, remembering at the last moment that her phone was still sitting on the kitchenette counter. Three quick steps brought her to the counter and she snatched up the phone, ready to throw it into her purse. Not sure why, she paused and then hit the speed dial.

"Good morning, beautiful" Chuck's voice came through the speaker, "just wake up?"

"Don't good morning me, asshole! Just figured you do the old 'tag and release'?" Sarah almost yelled into the phone as soon as she'd heard his voice. "What, did you figure that since I'm an agent and you've seen my history, it'd be alright to just have a night of fun and then take off? Did you just figure I was a whore and didn't deserve at least a goodbye? "I didn't check, did you leave some money on the dresser for me? Well, got nothing to say?" Sarah finished her outburst when she noticed that something was making it difficult to see.

"Note. End table." Chuck said and then disconnected the call.

Sarah was shaking with anger and when she heard the dial tone, she almost hurled her phone at the wall but chose instead to hit the speed dial again. She wasn't about to let him have the last word. She couldn't believe it when the call went straight to voice mail without even ringing. With a growl, she flung the phone at the far wall, getting no satisfaction when it shattered from the impact, pieces falling onto the bed and end table.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she remembered Chuck had mentioned 'end table' before he hung up on her and she walked across the room to get a closer look. Seeing the folded piece of paper with her name written on it, she sat down on the bed's edge and slowly reached out her hand, afraid to actually touch the note, afraid of what she might read. Taking a steadying breath, she picked up the note and slowly opened it.

_Sarah, _

_Last night was wonderful. I almost woke you this morning but you looked so peaceful and I just knew that if I did, I wouldn't be able to go to work. I'm sure there must be a law against someone looking so beautiful in the morning. _

_If you don't have plans, how about lunch? Or dinner? I'll be waiting for your call. Have a great day. Chuck_

After re-reading the note three times, Sarah carefully refolded the note and held it to her chest as she lay back on the bed, wondering what had come over her. Ever since she'd met Chuck Bartowski, she'd been at odds with herself, unsure just what she was feeling and why it was causing her to act the way she'd been acting. She told herself that if her phone wasn't smashed into hundreds of pieces, she'd call Director Graham and ask to be re-assigned, hopefully somewhere far away. Something was very wrong and she just had no idea what it was.

Sitting back up, she told herself to throw away the note, wipe her face and then go out and buy a new phone so she can make 'the' call. Minutes pass and she finds herself at the door, her purse in one hand and the shattered pieces of her phone, in a plastic baggie, in her other hand. She looks into the wastebasket at her feet, expecting to see the wadded up note and is surprised when she doesn't find it there. 'What the hell?' she asks herself and then realizes that she's placed the note in her pocket and she can't remember why. Promising to throw it away later, she opens the door and steps into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

Things seem to blur and before she's aware of it, Sarah finds herself walking through the front doors of the Burbank Buymore. She can hardly remember driving there and doesn't understand why she's still clutching the plastic baggie that contains the remnants of her shattered phone in one hand and a paper bag from Lou's deli in the other. Her feet seem to act on their own and she soon finds herself standing at the NerdHerd counter, looking for the only nerd that she is sure can help her.

Three different 'Nerds' ask if they can help and give her odd looks when she refuses to answer, simply shaking her head and looking around for Chuck. Looking up, she watches him walk through the door marked 'employees only' and begin making his way towards her. She wasn't surprised when he didn't smile at her and promised herself to change that, as soon as she could.

"May I help you, miss?" Chuck asked her as soon as he'd taken his place behind the counter.

"I really hope so. You see, this crazy woman broke into my room this morning and smashed my phone" she answered as she held up the plastic baggie.

"You don't say. Well, that's not something you hear everyday."

"Believe me, I was shocked. She grabbed my phone, called this incredibly sweet guy and said some really terrible things and then threw the phone against the wall" Sarah said as she watched Chuck's face as he listened to her story, hoping that he might offer a hint of a smile. Not seeing what she was hoping for, she continued on. "And then she went to Lou's Deli and had the owner make her a special 'I'm sorry I was such a horrible bitch' sandwich because she thought you might be hungry"

"Wow, that must be some sandwich" he replied, a faint smile starting to show. "And she has perfect timing because I was just about to take my lunch break. Perhaps you might like to join me and tell me how the rest of your morning was?"

"Are you sure?" she asked and after seeing him nod his head, she leaned in and whispered into his ear.

"Really? In the shower? Well, before I left…" he said as he leaned down and whispered into her ear.

"I was? Really?" Sarah asked, surprised when she felt herself begin to blush.

"Yes ma'am" he answered with a wink as he picked up the plastic bag and peered intently at the contents. "We carry this particular model and if the crazy woman didn't damage the SIM card, I should be able to have a new phone, with all of your old info, ready to go in just a few minutes". Reaching out, he tapped the 'Nerd' next to him on the shoulder which caused the man to jump. Chuck knew that Lester had been ignoring Sarah's presence, hoping she'd not notice him.

"Lester, I need you to take care of this" Chuck said as he held out the bag.

"Chuck, please…" Sarah said with a wink, "…there's all of those photos on there, you know, the 'special' ones I let you take last night. Do you really think he should be looking at those?"

"You're absolutely right, Sarah" he responded as he snatched the bag back from Lester's grasp and struggled to keep a straight face when he saw the look of disappointment on Lester's face as he whimpered. "I'll take care of this, after I get back from my lunch break".

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Chuck sat quietly while Sarah drove, the smell of the sandwich from Lou's slowly filling the interior of the Porsche. Within five minutes, Sarah had found a Qwikeemart and after buying them both a cold drink, she'd pulled her car into a small neighborhood park. Once they'd made their way to a shaded picnic table, she sat down across from Chuck and waited until he'd taken the first bite from his sandwich before saying a word.

"Chuck, I'm so very sorry about this morning. You didn't deserve that and I hope you will forgive me."

Chuck paused and then slowly put down the sandwich in his hands. "Sarah, did you honestly believe any of the things that you said? Do you really believe that I could feel that way?"

"Honestly? No, no I don't. I think you're an incredibly sweet guy and I honestly don't know what came over me this morning. Last night was the most amazing night I've had in…well, in forever and when I didn't see you this morning, it just pissed me off because I thought that it didn't mean anything to you."

"Sarah, of course last night was special. That's why I left the note…"

"Which I didn't find until after I'd made that call and said all of those horrible, horrible things."

"…and I thought about waking you to tell you but when I was about to leave, that's when I noticed you were…"

"I was what? Oh, that. That's what you were talking about earlier. I was…"

"…and you moaned my name while you were and it took all of my will power to go to work because, I just knew that if I'd stayed, I never would've gone into work at all."

"Chuck, when I woke up this morning, I felt better than I've felt in a long time, and it wasn't just because of the amazing sex last night…and it was amazing! When I first realized that you'd left, I wondered if I'd done something wrong. While I was taking my shower, my mind wandered and the next thing I knew, my knees were buckling after I'd been thinking of you and rubbed my way to an awesome orgasm. That was when I started to get upset, because I couldn't believe that you'd invaded my thoughts to such a degree and you'd just left, without a word."

"I did leave a note, Sarah"

"I know" Sarah said as she reached her hand into a back pocket and pulled out the note. "Chuck, I know you've read my file and you know what I've done but what the files don't say is that it meant nothing to me, not on a personal level. Even when I was with Bryce, it really was never more than a release. But last night…last night was the first time I felt connected to another human being…and when I realized that this morning, it scared me. I think that's why I got so mad at you for leaving."

"I'm so sorry Sarah…"

"Chuck, you don't have anything to be sorry about. You were wonderful and I was horrible to you and I just hope you'll forgive me for that phone call."

"Well, maybe…if you'll show me those photos I took last night. I seem to have forgotten all about them" he said with a wink.

"Well, Mr. Bartowski, maybe you can come by my place later and show me how to use the camera feature on my new phone" she replied with a smile, feeling better thanks to the smile on Chuck's face. "You should finish your sandwich because I've heard that 'photo shoots' can get very energetic and you might need to fuel up."

"Yes ma'am."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Sarah dropped Chuck off at the front door of the Buymore and Chuck walked inside, feeling very good about life in general. He'd promised Sarah he'd call her as soon as he'd taken care of her phone and she'd laughed before using the tips of her fingers to tap his forehead.

"And I'll answer your call with my what?" she'd asked with a smirk.

"Touché, Sarah."

"How about I just pick you up when your shift is over and give you a lift home?"

"That sounds great. I'll see you around eight?"

"Yes you will…and Chuck? I really am sorry about the way I acted earlier.'

"Sarah, You really don't have to apologize for doing that…"

"But it was a horrible thing to say to you."

"Oh that. I thought you were talking about…" Chuck finished with a wiggle of his eyebrows and a smile which earned him a slap on the arm.

"Go to work, Chuck. Before I'm forced to kidnap you and spend the rest of the afternoon 'apologizing', ok?"

"You got it, Sarah" he said as he levered himself out of the car. Having closed the door, he turned and walked towards the front doors of the Buymore. Just before walking in, he paused and turned back, planning to offer a wave and was shocked to see that Sarah Walker had pulled up her t-shirt and was flashing him as she offered her own version of the eyebrow dance. Before he could formulate a response, she'd dropped her shirt and sped away, leaving a shocked, and very happy, Chuck Bartowski staring after her.

Once inside he'd found Lester and Jeff standing side by side with a glazed look, theirs mouths hanging open. Standing behind them, catching him by surprise, was Major John Casey. He was wearing the green and khaki that made up the uniform of the Buymore sales staff and Chuck did a double take before stepping around the two dazed morons and continuing towards the Nerdherd counter. He felt Casey fall into step beside him and he decided he'd wait until the big man spoke first.

"Any reason why Walker's showing her tits to the moron twins? Or was that meant for you and they're just collateral damage?" Casey finally asked when he and Chuck had reached the counter and they'd both turned back to look, finding that the two men hadn't moved an inch, seemingly frozen to the spot.

"Uh, yeah…I'll go with the collateral damage answer" he replied before reaching under the counter and pulling out the plastic baggie that contained the remains of Sarah's phone. "So, Major Casey, did you get fired and this was the first job you could find?"

"Very funny, moron. No, they offered Walker and I our choice, sell appliances to yuppie scum or play slap and tickle with Burbank's favorite idiot. We just couldn't decide so we flipped a coin…Walker lost!" he said with a snort before walking away.

"Yeah, yeah" Chuck mumbled under his breath and then caught sight of his revenge as he stood in front of Jeff and Lester, waving his hand in front of their faces. "Morgan" he called and smiled when his old friend snapped to attention in front of him.

"What up, Chuck?" the short, bearded man asked.

"Morgan, buddy, Big Mike just hired a new salesman and I need you to drop some science on him. I want you to spend as much time as you can, helping John Casey become a great salesman. Big Mike said that John might be a little slow so make sure that you explain everything to him at least twice."

"You got it, Chuck. I'll get right on it" he said before turning around and launching himself after the big man.

"You do that, lil' buddy" Chuck said with a smile before turning his attention back to Sarah's phone. He needed to make sure that her new phone was in perfect working order before she showed up because he was really hoping she hadn't been kidding about the 'photo shoot'.

**A/N:** Your reviews are greatly appreciated…they really are.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: **yeah, I know it's been a little while…sorry about that…things have been a little strange…I got a bunch of chapters almost finished…hopefully by the weekend…thanks to everyone for their patience and to Grey Alchemist, YGBSM and Wassupchuck for the notes and kind words…had a little mental hiccup and not sure how this chapter turned out…hopefully you, the kind and patient reviewers will let me know…thanks to Quistie for a story that keeps me smiling and if, by some cruel twist of fate you haven't been reading her Sound of Music mash-up…well, there really is no excuse…stop reading this twaddle and go find that story…see how a great writer does it…and then come back here for a little compare and contrast…you be glad you did…go read Quistie's stuff, that is…not necessarily the coming back here part…as always, reviews are greatly appreciated and encourage because your opinions on my scribbles…like 'em or hate 'em…are always nice to get…DON'T OWN CHUCK…or make money doing this…and still Beta free.

Wasn't having fun for a while there but it seems to be slowly coming back around. JT

**Bryce Larkin - Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 15**

Chuck looked up from the paperwork he'd been concentrating on at the sound of the tiny service bell to find Sarah standing in front of him. Glancing at his watch, he was surprised to find that it was a little after eight o'clock. The last three hours had flown by while he'd been catching up on old installation reports. Normally it would have taken half the time he'd spent on the forms but he had been continually interrupted by Jeff and Lester as they told anyone who would listen about the view of perfection they'd experienced earlier in the day. He found himself smiling when he remembered some of the more outlandish versions of the story he'd heard, marveling at the way Lester had turned a one second flash into a try-out for the latest GIRLS GONE WILD video.

"Hi Chuck" Sarah said with a smile when his eyes met hers.

"Holy crap!" Chuck blurted out when his mind connected the dots after he realized that Lester and Jeff had been out of sight for almost twenty minutes. Taking note of the sudden confused look on Sarah's face, he promised himself to explain the odd greeting once he'd investigated the theory that he'd just formulated. "Be right back" he said as he jumped up and started moving towards Big Mike's office, hoping he was wrong and, if he was right, hoping he got to the two idiots in time.

He was about half way to the office when John Casey stepped into the aisle, forcing him to do a spinning side step to get around the big man. Ignoring the 'what the hell, Bartowski?' he heard from behind him, he closed the remaining distance to the office and skidded to a stop, one hand reaching for the door knob. Giving the knob a quick twist, he grimaced when he realized that the door was locked. Trying to not waste any time, he pulled his keys from his pocket and quickly unlocked the door. Throwing open the door, he rushed across the office and roughly shoved Jeff and Lester away from Big Mike's desk.

"What the hell, Charles?" Lester yelled as he struggled to stay on his feet, clutching at Jeff in the attempt to remain upright. The shove, combined with Jeff's questionable sobriety, proved to be too much to overcome as the two Nerdherders fell to the floor in a tangle of limbs.

"Hey!" Jeff slurred, obviously confused about his sudden horizontal position.

"Charles, you have no right…" Lester started before shutting up when he took note of the glare being directed down at him.

Chuck held up a finger in a stalling gesture and after taking note of the worried look on the faces looking up at him, he turned back to the desk top and looked at the monitor, not at all surprised to find that the morons had accessed the stores closed-circuit system and were in the process of trying to download the footage of Sarah's flash from earlier in the day. After taking a moment to enjoy the sight of the beautiful blonde and her amazing breasts, he went to work erasing all of the footage, ignoring the pleas of Lester and Jeff as they begged him to stop what he was doing. He ignored the pair as he went through all of the recent work on his bosses computer, making sure that the now whimpering pair hadn't sent the images…anywhere. Five minutes later, sure that he'd been in time, he finally allowed himself a sigh of relief as he leaned back in Big Mike's chair.

"Well, Charles, I'm afraid that Jeffrey and I are left with no choice. We're going to have to report your 'abuse' to corporate. You know that Buymore frowns on employees laying their hands on their fellow employees and…"

"Shut up!" Chuck hissed at the two men who were slowing getting to their feet. "You broke into Big Mike's office. You used his computer to access security footage…that is off limits to everyone except the store manager or his superiors. You attempted to download images from said footage and then you were planning to send the images to several websites that are on the restricted access list for Buymore work computers."

"Well, maybe we can reach an agreeable compromise…" Lester responded as he made a show off dusting himself off and straightening his tie.

"Lester, have you forgotten the paperwork from the other day? You're hanging by your fingernails and if you do one more thing…just one more, teeny, tiny, thing, I'm going to make sure that you're out of here, permanently. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

"Uh, yes" was all Lester could say as he mopped at the sweat that was now covering his forehead.

"Good. Now, give me the key" he said as he held out his hand towards the two men.

"Uh, Charles, what key are you referring to…exactly?" Lester asked while he seemed to be searching for an escape route from Big Mike's office. When he realized that Chuck was effectively blocking the only means of escape, he decided to check on his shoes, hoping that, if he ignored he question, it would go away.

"Alright…Jeff, where's the key?"

"I'm sure that there's no key in Lester's pocket" the older man answered.

Chuck struggled to keep the smile from his face. "Lester, give me the key. You know you're not supposed to have it and if it's not in my hand in fifteen seconds, I'll go ahead and pull up the footage of the two of you entering this office…without permission…and I'll forward it to corporate…along with everything else. Have you got your resume updated? In five seconds, if that key isn't in my hand, you'll get the opportunity to see if anyone wants to hire you."

"Here you go, Charles." Lester said as the key in question seemed to magically appear in his hand. "I'm not sure where Jeffrey found this…"

"Hey…" Jeff blurted out, still looking confused.

"Shut up, both of you. Now, get out of Bog Mike's office and don't let me catch you in here…again." Chuck said as he stepped to the door and gestured for the two men to leave. After Jeff and Lester had exited the office, Chuck pulled the door shut behind him, making sure that it was locked. He promised himself that tomorrow he'd suggest to Big Mike that he might want to have his lock changed, sure that Lester probably had multiple copies of the key he'd just confiscated.

Chuck made his way to the Nerd Herd desk, hoping that Sarah hadn't taken his 'holy crap' greeting the wrong way, promising to explain everything to her once they got out of the store. When he opened the 'employee's only' door, he paused when he caught sight of John Casey standing with Sarah, wondering what the NSA agent was up to. Just as he stepped behind the desk, Casey grunted in his direction and then walked away.

"Sarah, I'm sorry about running off on you like that. The two pervs were up to something and I'm actually glad I caught up with them before it was too late" Chuck said while he reached under the counter and pulled out the plastic bag that contained the remnants of Sarah's phone that she'd left with him earlier in the day. After handing her the bag, he reached under the counter again and produced a small box which he extended towards the blonde standing in front of him.

"As promised, one new phone. It seems that the 'crazy woman' who you said destroyed your phone, wasn't able to damage the SIM card so, I was able to put all of your old information into your new phone" Chuck said as he held up the new phone. "Now, Sarah, while I was transferring the information, I noticed that it seems that the 'crazy woman' seems to have taken a number of photos of me, asleep, and somehow, the sheets seem to have fallen completely off of me."

"Really? Wow, I can't imagine how that happened" Sarah said with a smile as she snatched the phone from Chuck's hand and quickly stuffed it into her pocket.

"Well, it seems that you don't need and help figuring out how to use your phone's camera" Chuck replied with a pout, "so, I guess the 'photo shoot' tonight is cancelled?"

Sarah leaned across the counter and grabbed Chuck's tie, using it to pull him towards her. Leaning in, she whispered into his ear. "It's a new phone, Chuck, and I still want you to show me how to use the camera…and if some of our clothes happen to fall off while you're teaching me how to use my phone, well, we'll just have to deal with it" she said and then gave his earlobe a nip before releasing his tie.

Uh, ok, I think that would be alright."

"Alright, Chuck? I have a feeling it will be a little more than alright. Now, why did you disappear as soon as I said 'hi'?"

"Well, I think that I'll save that story for later. I was hoping that you wouldn't mind giving me a ride to my place so I could grab some clean clothes."

"Of course. I'd also to be happy to help you get changed…if you'd like…after we stop by Casey's."

"Why are we stopping by Casey's?" Chuck asked as he rounded the counter and paused at Sarah's side, offering his arm.

"Well, the powers that be have requested a meeting. It seems that we have a mission tomorrow night and the Director and the General want to have a briefing" Sarah answered after taking his arm and following him towards the front door.

"A mission? What's up?"

"I honestly don't know any more than you do. Casey just told me about it, right before you got back." Sarah said as they approached her Porsche. After unlocking the passenger door, she waited until Chuck had eased himself into the seat and then slid in, making herself comfortable in his lap. "I've been needing something from you since I dropped you off after lunch"

"Oh really. And what that be, Miss Walker?"

"This" she said as she threw her arms around his neck and pulled herself to him, her lips attaching themselves to his and her tongue demanding, and be granted entrance. The kiss became very intense, very quickly and it was only the sound of a disgusted grunt that made the pair break the contact.

"Get a room…after the briefing" Casey growled at them as he walked past, heading towards the Crown Vic that was parked just a few spaces away. "Seriously, briefing…don't be late" he added over his shoulder as he un-locked his door and climbed into his car.

After watching Casey pull away, Sarah was about to return to the kiss that had been interrupted and was surprised when she felt Chuck pushing her off of his lap. "What? Did I do something wrong, Chuck?"

"Of course not…that was very right, as a matter of fact. I just think that the sooner we get this briefing thing done with, the sooner we can get to your camera tutorial" he said, adding the Bartowski eyebrow dance which earned him a smile and a quick kiss on the cheek before Sarah pulled herself across him and into the drivers seat. "You really are a temptress…you know that, right?" he asked after Sarah had managed to grope, fondle and rub her breasts against him while she was sliding over to the driver's side bucket seat.

"Who, me?" she answered, offering her best innocent look before starting the car. "Buckle up, Chuck. I feel like seeing if I can beat Casey."

Chuck thought about crossing himself after he'd made sure his seat belt was in place but decided against it when Sarah's sudden acceleration made it difficult to move. When the car drifted sideways as Sarah pulled out of the parking lot, he simply closed his eyes and sank back into the seat.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"We're here , Chuck. You can open your eyes now."

Following Sarah's suggestion, Chuck opened his eyes and was surprised to see his sister and her boyfriend standing on the sidewalk, less than ten feet from the parking space that Sarah had managed to slide into, literally, after cutting John Casey off. Both Ellie and Devon stood there with their mouths hanging open, a shocked look on their faces.

"Sarah, I hate to say it but my sister doesn't look happy. You're in trouble." Chuck said as he opened his door and started to get out.

"Chuck? What the hell is your problem? Are you trying to kill somebody?" Ellie asked as she took a step towards him.

"What? Ellie, did you notice what side of the car I just got out of? I was a passenger…Sarah was…" Chuck stopped mid-sentence, not knowing what to say next. He looked across the roof of the car at Sarah who'd just gotten out of the vehicle and then looked back at his sister. Shaking his head, he decided to just wait to see what would happen next.

"Ellie, I'm sorry. It was my fault" Sarah said. "I was in a hurry to get Chuck back here so he could…uh, I…sorry, I really have no excuse. I wanted to beat John back here from the Buymore. Chuck really had nothing to do with it" Sarah said as she made her way around the car and came to stand beside Chuck.

Ellie seemed to consider what Sarah had said and then, having reached a decision, walked over and smacked the blonde woman on the wrist. "This is a residential area, Sarah. I really hope you don't drive like that all the time. Now, do you guys have plans or would you like to join Devon and I for a movie night?"

Chuck was dumbfounded at his sister's sudden change in attitude and didn't know how to respond. Sarah spoke up for both of them. "We don't have any plans and after we stop by John's for a few minutes, we'd be glad to join you guys for a movie…isn't that right, Chuck?"

"Uh…yeah, that would be great" Chuck replied, still confused and just following Sarah's lead.

"Alright, Ellie, we'll see you guys in a few minutes" Sarah said after she hooked her arm through Chuck's and started to lead him towards Casey's apartment.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The briefing lasted almost thirty minutes and it seemed to Chuck that most of the time was spent asking him the same questions, two or three times. The first order of business had been an announcement that the three of them would be attending a charity art auction the following night because several agents had been killed while tracking a painting that had been on display in a museum in Iraq which would be auctioned off at the event. When an image of the painting in question had appeared on the monitor, Chuck had flashed and then asked who 'La Ciudad' was. When he mentioned the name, both Director Graham and General Beckman expressed a sudden, intense curiosity about what he knew while Sarah and Casey both stared at him, waiting to hear what he said. After going over all of the information he'd gleaned from the flash, he spent the rest of the meeting going back over the same information while Sarah and Casey explained how things would happen the next night.

Chuck had been appalled when he'd seen all of the acts that were attributed to La Ciudad and he couldn't believe that they were expected to somehow identify someone who'd never been photographed. When he'd expressed his worry, Casey had simply grunted, telling him to 'man up' under his breath. Director Graham added that MI6 had an agent who would also be at the event, suggesting that charity events rarely got dangerous and that as long as he dressed appropriately, he shouldn't have any problems. Moments later the video conference ended, leaving the three of them staring at each other.

When Chuck had pointed out that he didn't own a tuxedo, Sarah had promised to take him shopping for some new clothes, telling him that the CIA would be picking up the bill for whatever new clothes he might need. When Casey had mumbled under his breath about Sarah having a new doll to play dress up with, she'd given him the classic one-fingered salute and then grabbed Chuck's hand, pulling him towards the front door.

"C'mon, your sister is waiting for us" Sarah said as she lead the way across the courtyard, letting go of Chuck's hand once they'd reached the front door of Casa Bartowski where she'd let him take the lead. She followed him into the apartment and wasn't surprised to find Ellie and Devon curled up together on the couch, the pair looking thru the 'on-demand' schedule.

"About time you guys got here" Ellie said when she noticed the pair as they walked into the living room. "Devon and I were trying to decide what to watch tonight…any thoughts?"

Chuck lead Sarah over to the large recliner and once he'd made sure she took the seat, he turned and headed towards the kitchen. "Anything will be fine. Sarah, beer?"

"That sounds great, Chuck" she answered while she watched Ellie and Devon as they skimmed the listings, making comments about different titles. Sarah would be the first to admit that she knew next to nothing about current movies and she was really hoping that Ellie wouldn't ask her any questions that would showcase that fact. Just as Chuck returned from the kitchen with two beers, Ellie asked her what movie she'd like to watch. "Anything would be fine. I'll leave it up to you guys" she answered as she took the offered beer from Chuck's hand and then watched as he sat down in front of the chair she was sitting in, making himself comfortable by leaning back against the foot rest. Moving her knees, she smiled when he slid further back and casually draped his left arm over her knee and then leaned his head back. Taking advantage of the situation, Sarah gave into temptation and gently ran her fingers through his curls, marveling at the soft feel. Looking up, she found Ellie's eyes on her and she quickly leaned back, pulling her fingers loose and dropping her hand back on to the armrest.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Sarah was still smiling when the movie ended and Chuck got up from between her knees, excusing himself to go and get changed. She immediately missed his presence and the strangely wonderful feeling of normalcy that just watching a cartoon about a super powered family had left her with. Looking up when Ellie got to her feet and headed towards the kitchen, she wondered what the older woman wanted when she'd asked Sarah to join her. Once in the kitchen, she'd been wondering what was going on.

"What exactly is going on, Sarah?"

"Well, your brother and I were going to go out for a while and then, hopefully, head back to my place so we could…well, um…"

"Sarah, I have a pretty good idea what's going on between you two. That wasn't what I was referring to. My brother is a big boy and…"

"Yes, yes he is" Sarah mumbled and was mortified when she realized that Ellie had heard her. She felt the warmth rising and settling into her cheeks, hoping that the brunette wouldn't notice the blush that she was sure was now creeping towards her hairline.

"Sarah, what the hell? I didn't need to hear that!"

"I'm sorry, Ellie. That just slipped out" she replied, surprised by how embarrassed she felt.

"I wanted to know what's going on with your bosses. What was the meeting at John Casey's all about?"

"Well, uh, we're going to an art auction tomorrow night" she answered, hoping that would be enough information but pretty sure that it wouldn't be.

"You're taking my brother on some mission tomorrow night?"

"Well, I, uh, I can't really talk about the specifics…"

"So, my brother's working for the government now?"

"Working? Well, uh…"

"He is getting paid , right?"

"Well, uh, no?" she answered, wondering where this line of questions was leading.

"What?" Ellie blurted out with a look of disbelief on her face. "Chuck!"

Chuck dashed into the kitchen with a concerned look on his face. "Ellie? What's wrong, El?"

Taking a quick step towards him, Ellie swung her hand out and smacked her brother on the back of the head. "Are you going on missions…and not getting paid?"

"Well, I haven't actually gone any missions"

"Are you going to some sort of function tomorrow night, for the government, and you're not going to be paid for your time?"

"Well, um, yes?" Chuck offered after a quick look at Sarah who looked as confused as he felt.

"No!" Ellie said as she reached out and grabbed her bother's earlobe before he could move. Before Chuck could say a word, his sister was pulling him towards the apartment's front door, pausing briefly to tell a startled Devon that she'd be back in a few minutes and she'd explain everything then. Sarah followed Chuck as he stumbled along behind his sister as she crossed the courtyard, making a beeline for John Casey's apartment. Stopping at the door, Ellie used her empty hand to pound out a demand for entrance. Once the door opened, the elder Bartowski pushed past the confused NSA agent, dragging her brother along behind her. Seeing the questioning look on her partner's face, Sarah shrugged her shoulders because she had no idea what was going on.

John Casey watched as the trio walk past him and he closed his door once everyone was inside. Turning around, he found Ellie Bartowski glaring at him with an open hand extended towards him, palm up.

"John, call your bosses and then give me the phone"

"What?" Casey replied, wondering just what was going on.

"Right now, John!"

"It's a bit late to call…"

"Bullshit, John. Call your boss…right now!"

After he looked at his partner and got another shoulder shrug, Agent John Casey pulled his phone from his pocket and hit the speed dial and then put the phone to his ear.

"General…yes I know it's late…"

"Give me the phone, John. Right now!" Ellie said with a snap of her fingers.

"Well, General, I have someone here who is demanding to speak to you. Yes ma'am, I…" Casey was interrupted when Ellie simply snatched the phone from his hand, released her hold on Chuck's ear and then took a couple of steps away before putting the phone to her ear.

"Hello, General?…this is Eleanor Faye Bartowski…I don't care what time it is and your rank doesn't mean a thing to me. What I want to know why you seem to expect my brother to work for you without paying him for his time…yes, I'm very serious…he didn't ask for that douche bag, Bryce Larkin to give him that shit…well, because Bryce Larkin was working for you…I don't care if wasn't acting under orders, he was your employee at the time when he endangered my brother by giving him the intersect and I'm holding you responsible…NSA, CIA, I don't care! You will arrange to pay my brother for his time because it's the right thing to do…yes, I know what the intersect is…oh, really? Well, I wasn't threatening you, I was simply pointing out to you that if my little brother is going to be involved with this spy shit, you should be paying him for his time…yes, I think that would be a very good idea…you have a good night as well…yes, I'll put him back on…goodbye" Ellie finished and then handed the phone back to a dumbfounded John Casey. "Thank you, John" she said before turning and heading for the front door.

Sarah couldn't believe what she'd just witnessed and she was sure that the dis-belief must have shown on her face. After catching Chuck's eye, she nodded towards the still open front door and the retreating form of his sister. Reaching out, she took his hand and after giving a nod to Casey, who was listening intently to whatever General Diane Beckman had to say, she headed towards the door and the courtyard beyond. Closing the door behind them, she leads the way to the fountain and pulled Chuck down to sit beside her.

"Your sister can be a little scary, you know what I mean?" Sarah said as she wrapped her arm around his waist and pulled herself close to him.

"I know what you mean" Chuck answered with a smile. "She's been like that for as long as I can remember"

"Well, it looks like you just got a second job thanks to your sister. So how does it feel to be a government employee?"

"I think I wait until I see an actual paycheck before I answer that question. So, what would you like to do now?" Chuck asked as he leaned back so he could look into Sarah's eyes.

"Well, I thought we'd start with this" she replied and then pulled him to her for a kiss that quickly escalated, leaving them both short of breath when they finally broke apart a couple of minutes later.

"That was certainly a great way to start. What did you have planned after that?"

"Well, I thought we'd go and pack you an overnight bag and then we'd go to my place so you could show me how the camera on my phone works. Does that sound like a good plan?"

"Well, at some point, does this plan involve you in less clothing than you're wearing right now? After all, I seem to recall finding out that you've taken some pictures of me with little clothing and I was hoping to have the opportunity to return the favor" Chuck said while offering the Bartowski eyebrow dance.

Sarah reached a hand towards on her blouse and un-buttoned the top button. "I'd be happy to start the 'less clothing' thing right now, if you'd like."

Chuck reached out to stop Sarah's hands as they moved towards the next button "Why don't we save that for a less public location?"

"Like my car? Or the elevator at my hotel?" Sarah asked, dropping one of her hands to his thigh and slowly moving it towards his crotch.

Moving quickly, Chuck grabbed Sarah's hand and got to his feet, pulling her towards the apartment. Why don't we go pack that overnight bag and then we can move this discussion to your place."

"Well, if you're sure that I can't talk you into a little courtyard sex…"

"Go start the car. I'll go grab some clothes and be right out."

"Are you sure you don't want my help?"

"Oh yeah, I'm sure. I'll be out in five minutes"

"If you insist. Please tell Ellie thank you for me. I'm so happy she invited me for a movie night." Sarah said before pulling Chuck in for a surprisingly quick kiss. "Now, hurry up. The sooner we get to my place, the sooner we can have that photo shoot."

"Yes ma'am" Chuck answered before turning away and heading towards Casa Bartowski. Looking back over his shoulder he couldn't help smiling when he caught Sarah staring at his ass. "Hey, shouldn't you be heading to your car?"

"I just wanted to make sure you got home safe"

"Sarah, really? You know you could just say that you like looking at my butt."

"Chuck, go pack that overnight bag" Sarah said as she slowly started walking towards the parking lot. "Chuck?"

"Yeah Sarah"

"I do like looking at your butt"

**A/N:2 - **Coming next…the first mission and La Ciudad. Sorry about the wait. JT


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: **Here's something new in the 'douche-verse'…hope it's not horrible…was going to have them make the function but little things kept happening and before I knew it…bam, a few words turned into a few more and so on and so on, and so on…hadn't planned to bring the titular character back this soon but…what can I say?…couldn't help it…it just happened…now, here's where I beg your indulgence while I plead for your time in the form of reviews…they are wonderful for me(and any other writer here at FF), so…tap that button and tell a writer(doesn't have to be me) what you like or hate about their work…Batty, a juicer role is heading your way soon…Chas56, next chapter…Prince Boo Boo, words fail me…disclaimers…I don't own Chuck…I make no money from the pounding of my fingers against the keyboard…all errors are completely my own and I'll blame a poor education and/or a fondness for Jager…I'm still trying to get the perfect opening line for my movie mash up…Steve Martin's 'The Jerk' with lots of fun characters for Chuck's fun characters…Chuck-Navin Johnson, Sarah-the 'thermos song' girl, Carina- Navin's first girlfriend("I should be sending more money soon because my girlfriend has promised me a %*# job"), Casey as the nut bag assassin who 'hates these cans' and later becomes the process server, Morgan as the 'gang banger' known as 'Mrs. Noosebaum' who steals the church…sorry, too much rambling, must stop now…thanks again to the man who steered me into this lunacy, thanks Jim. **JT**

**Bryce Larkin : Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 16**

Chuck opened his eyes to find a blonde vision of loveliness staring down at him, her face hovering inches above his own.

"Morning, sleepy head" Sarah said before lowering her lips to his and giving him a gentle kiss which rapidly heated up as Chuck responded to the tongue that was demanding entrance to his mouth. Within minutes, the couple had thrown the comforter from the bed and they were wrapped up in each other, hands grasping and groping as they struggled with each others clothing, each of them determined to get the other naked as quickly as possible. Just as Sarah pulled Chuck's pajama bottoms from around his ankles, the sound of his cel-phone ringing brought everything to a screeching halt.

"You have got to be kidding me" Sarah announced to the room when she recognized Ellie's ring-tone. "We're not even in her apartment and your sister throws a CB" the suddenly frustrated blonde grumbled while Chuck reached for his phone, immediately missing the feel of his hands on her body.

"Morning, El" he answered while Sarah continued her exploration, slowly kissing her way from his neck downwards. "Yes, I'm aware that the event tonight is a formal affair…yes, I'm well aware that I don't have a suit…that would be great but Sarah has already volunteered to take me shopping this morning and I…uh" Chuck suddenly paused, losing his train of thought when Sarah's tongue found it's way to his arousal. "…uh, I, uh…no, nothing's wrong, El…Sarah just, uh, she …" he paused again as he looked down .and found a pair of brilliant blue eyes staring up at him. He almost laughed when she waggled her eyebrows at him before returning to her ministrations. "…um, yeah, sorry about that. Listen El, I've gotta go…yeah, I'm pretty sure that Sarah knows exactly what she doing…oh yeah, she really does…I'm sorry El but I have to hang up now…I promise to call you later…what?…Ellie, it's not like we're going to the prom…ok, fine, I'll have Sarah take a picture for you…yeah, I promise, gotta go now" Chuck finished and then fumbled with his phone before tossing it to the small table next to the bed.

"Oh god, yes! Sarah, this is definitely one of my favorite ways to start the day" Chuck declared as he felt himself slipping closer to the edge.

"Chuck, I really don't need to hear this!" his sisters voice announced from the bedside table followed by the sound of a call being disconnected.

"Oh crap" Chuck moaned when Sarah stopped and then rolled onto her back, making no effort to hide the giggles that quickly grew into a fit of snorting laughter. "It's not funny, Sarah."

"Yeah, it is" she replied, struggling to get her laughter under control, using her fingers to wipe the tears that from her cheeks while watching Chuck sit up and start to swing his legs over the side of the bed. "And just where do you think you're going, mister?" she asked while reaching for and grabbing his shoulder.

"A cold shower?"

"Oh no you aren't!" she announced in a firm and husky voice. "I'm not through with you yet" she added, pulling him back onto the bed and throwing a leg over his waist. Before Chuck had a chance to say a word, she demonstrated that she was more than ready for him when she shifted a little and then slid down onto him in one smooth motion. Placing her hands on his chest, she smiled down at him. "I think you need to find a place for your hands" she told him and then paused the rhythm she'd set up when she felt his hands settle on her hips, "and as much as I like the feel of them on my hips, that wasn't the place I wanted them" she added while grabbing them and pulling them to her breasts. "Much better" she purred as she began thrusting against him again while her hands stayed atop his, guiding them.

"So, uh, where are you going to take me shopping?" Chuck asked, trying to take his mind off of the sensations that were flooding his mind.

"Shopping, Chuck? Do you really think that shopping is what I want to hear you talking about…right now?"

"Well, I don't know enough about baseball to talk statistics and I'm pretty sure that you don't want me to start quoting from 'Wrath'…"

"And you don't believe in talking dirty?"

"Well, that would sort of defeat the purpose…for me…right now."

Nodding her head and smiling when she realized what he was rambling about, Sarah leaned down and took his ear lobe in her teeth and gave it a hard nip before straightening back up.

"Ow! What the hell, Sarah?"

"Did that get your mind to a different place?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"Yes, yes it did."

"Good, now just remember that your hot and horny girlfriend is more than willing to bite, whenever you need her to."

"Yes ma'am" he replied with smile as Sarah closed her eyes and began to pick up her pace while he simply reminded himself of the feel of her teeth on his ear.

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Chuck looked into the bathroom mirror and couldn't help smiling around his toothbrush as he watched the woman standing beside him, working her toothbrush with almost the same motion he'd been using. With almost identical timing, they both spit into the sink and then reached for a cup of water to rinse their mouths out.

"What's so funny?" Sarah asked after using the corner of her towel to wipe at the corners of her mouth, ridding herself of the last evidence of the mint toothpaste they'd both used.

"Nothing" he answered after wiping his own mouth and turning to leave the bathroom. He'd only taken two steps when he had a passenger, Sarah having leapt onto his back, her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs wrapping around his waist. Without thinking, he flashed and with a quick step to the side, he dropped a hip, shrugged a shoulder and grabbed one of the thin wrists that were around his neck before leaning forward suddenly. Moments later he was staring down at down at the bed, taking note of the shocked look on the face of a naked Sarah Walker, the towel she'd been wearing hanging from his hand.

"What the hell?" the blonde agent asked, clearly confused about what had happened. "How did you do that, Chuck? Did you flash on me?"

"Um, yes?" he answered with a big smile.

"What's so funny?"

"Well, I have to admit that I much prefer your flash to mine" he replied, waving the towel in his hand.

"How…how exactly did you do that? I know quite few styles of martial arts and I have never seen that style before" Sarah said, making no move to take the towel from Chuck's hand.

"I'm not sure. The flash wasn't intentional. It was more like a sub-conscious thing. The Intersect just choose something to get me out of the position I was in."

"Then why didn't you follow through with an offensive move to incapacitate me?" she asked as she got up from the bed and made her way over to the Chuck's overnight bag and started pulling out clothes, tossing some blue underarmor shorts across the room to him.

"I'm not sure. I had some options but I just didn't feel the need to use them" he answered as he dropped the towel in his hand and caught the underwear. He watched as Sarah made her way back across the room, a pair of jeans and a t-shirt in her hands. Before he could move, a naked agent was standing in front of him, her hands pulling at the towel that was wrapped around his waist. "I'm pretty sure that I can dress myself."

"I'm sure you can but today I get to pick out your clothes and watch you put them on" she said as she sat down on the edge of the bed, his towel now in her hands. "Now, start getting dressed" she ordered as she lay back on the bed, her eyes never leaving him as he did as he was told.

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Chuck looked at his watch for what felt like the thousandth time since he'd been banished to the dressing room, Sarah refusing to let him pick out any of the suits he'd tried on during the last two hours. He'd found out the hard way that the plastic bench in the small alcove was freezing cold when he'd tried to sit down almost and hour and a half before and he'd been standing ever since. He'd been reaching for his phone when the sound of someone at the curtains caught his attention and he spun around, expecting to find Sarah standing there with an armful of clothes for him to try on only to find himself staring at the last person he expected to see.

"Chuck, good to see you" the unexpected guest said with a smirk.

"Batty?" Chuck replied after taking note of the employee name tag that was pinned to the front of his visitor's shirt.

"I don't have a clue. I just grabbed whatever I found in the first locker I came to. I don't have much time and…"

"Sarah's here."

"I know, that's part of the reason that I don't have much time so, if you don't mind, let me say what I need to say and then I'll disappear again…hopefully before Sarah or Casey catches me."

Casey's here as well? Chuck asked and then, after a moments thought, realized that he wasn't surprised to find out that his second watcher had tagged along. "Alright, Bryce, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Well, first things first" Bryce answered before dropping his shoulder slightly and launching a roundhouse punch at Chuck's jaw.

Before he had a chance to panic, Chuck felt the intersect activate and the next thing he knew, Bryce Larkin was on his knees, his right wrist cradled in his left hand. Ignoring the options for a second, crippling blow, he opted to step back and lower himself to the cold, plastic bench.

"Jesus, Chuck, you didn't have to break my wrist" Bryce blurted out, the pain obvious in his eyes.

"You took a swing at me, Bryce. Was there a reason for that or were you just trying to remind what a huge douche bag you are?"

"I took a swing at you to see if you could handle yourself, to see if your babysitters had been teaching you anything. I guess they have. Was it Casey who taught you that wrist break trick?""

"I didn't break it…I could've but I didn't. It was a simple nerve strike, you big baby. Here.." he said, holding out his right hand, "…give me your arm and I'll fix it. I thought that you spy types were supposed to be tough and stoic and all that shit." He waited until Bryce had held his arm out to him and then grabbed his forearm and, after closing his eyes for a second, he used two fingers and pressed at a point just at the inside of his elbow. He watched as the pained expression seemed to melt off of his former friend's face, releasing his hold when the Intersect's instructions advised him to.

"How?" Bryce asked as he slowly got to his feet while he massaged his arm. "Oh shit" he blurted out after he put two and two together, "you uploaded it, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Why?"

"Isn't that why you gave it to me?"

"NO! I just wanted you to keep it safe until I could get back and reclaim it."

"Well, as I seem to recall, you never mentioned that little fact."

"If you remember, I wasn't in the best shape when I stopped by. Bullets and explosions can really take it out of you. I can't believe you uploaded it. Is it always that fast?"

"Well, it was slower at first but after I tweaked the program, it worked a lot faster."

"You changed the program? How?"

"I re-wrote it" he replied while lightly tapping the side of his head and watched the look of shock that took over Bryce's face.

"You re-wrote the program…in your head? I can't believe it."

"Well, your belief doesn't change the fact. Now, what do you want…and if you take another swing at me I'll use the second option the Intersect gave me, and trust me, it isn't anywhere near as much fun as the nerve strike."

"Well, I need to get the program back from you."

"Well, that may be a bit of a problem."

"And why is that?"

"I broke the program up and stashed the pieces…it'll take me a little while to gather them up. You'll have to check back with me tomorrow. I've got plans for tonight and I won't have the time to gather them all together for you until later. Why do you need it back, if you don't mind me asking.."

"I plan to upload it so I can get back to the mission I was originally tasked with."

"Bryce, as tempting as it would be to let you try, I can't do it. It would probably kill you."

"And what makes you say that? Afraid that someone might be able to put it to the real use it was intended for? "

"No, asshole" Chuck replied and then closed his eyes briefly, "your test scores from Flemings class indicate that your image retention rate just isn't high enough. Believe me, if I thought it would work, I'd be happy to step back and let you take the lead but the sad truth is that you just couldn't handle it."

"And I should believe you because?"

"You're right Bryce, you shouldn't believe me…after all, I'm the one who got you kicked out of Stanford by framing you for cheating, and then I slept with your girlfriend so, give me a day and I'll be happy to watch you upload the Intersect and then after you made the evolutionary step from 'piece of shit' to 'brain dead piece of shit', I'll have Casey drop your worthless, drooling waste of space at the nearest mental hospital because I'm pretty sure Director Graham won't want you back."

Jesus, Chuck, what the hell has hap…" Bryce suddenly stopped talking and pitched forward into Chuck's arms, his eyes rolling back into his head.

Looking up from the unexpected weight in his arms, Chuck found Sarah standing at the entrance to the small stall, her left arm full of clothing and her right hand still balled into a fist. Turning slowly around, he lowered an unconscious Bryce to the plastic bench, leaning him back so he didn't pitch forward onto the floor. Turning back, he noticed the smile flitting about the blonde's mouth as she extended the arm full of clothes towards him.

"Go try these on while I call a clean up crew to come pick up this asshole" Sarah told him, already pulling her pone from her pocket.

"Hold on a minute, Sarah. I can't believe I'm saying this but we need to wait until Bryce is awake again so I can finish the conversation we were having."

"What? You can't be serious, Chuck. What could you possibly have to say to this douche bag?"

"Sarah, please, just trust me. If the talk doesn't go well, you have my permission to break his nose before turning him in…ok?" Chuck asked, hoping that he might get the chance to find out what was really going on with the 'mission' he ex-roommate was supposedly on. While he waited for an answer, he felt movement behind him and was surprised when a dazed looking Bryce Larkin got to his feet. Before he could say a word, Sarah stepped forwards and lashed out, her fist connecting with her ex-partner's nose, the cracking sound leaving no doubt that he now had a broken nose.

"What?" the blonde asked, an innocent look on her face. "You did say that I could break his nose before you talked with him, didn't you?"

"No I did not, and you know that."

"Oh, sorry. Why don't you go into the next stall and try these on while I make sure 'Batty' here…" she said after taking note of the name tag that was now covered with the blood that continued to flow from the broken nose, "…doesn't get into anymore trouble. I'll be right over to make sure that everything I picked out fits you. Chop chop, Chuck. We don't have a lot of time and the talk you want to have will only take up more of our time. Go. Shoo" she finished while transferring the clothes she'd been carrying into his hands as she moved to Bryce's side and guided him back to the plastic bench at the back of the stall while gently pushing the curly headed nerd towards the front of the dressing room.

Chuck decided to follow her instructions, hoping that Bryce didn't get anymore damaged while under Sarah's care. Once he'd changed dressing stalls, he set about slipping into the clothes that Sarah had picked out, trying to listen in on the conversation going on in the room next to him but being frustrated by the blaring muzak and the hushed tones that the two spies were using for their 'talk'. He'd just finished doing the last button on the jacket when he heard the curtains rustle behind him and he turned to find one of the sales clerks standing there.

"I'm so sorry Mr. Carmichael, your fiancé assured me that it would be ok to hand you these shoes that she wanted you to try on."

"My fiancé?" Chuck asked, suddenly confused, wondering what the poor salesgirl had been told.

"Yes sir, the beautiful blonde who's been helping you with your new wardrobe."

"Yes, of course. Sorry, I'm just a little flustered today."

"Not a problem at all" the young woman assured him while taking the time to give him a casual once over before handing him the shoes that Sarah had selected for him. "If there is anything else that I can help you with…taking any measurements that might be required for any alterations" the woman offered, pulling her small tape measure from her pocket, "in case we have to adjust your inseam" she added as she openly stared at his crotch only to jump when a woman cleared her throat behind her.

"Believe me, honey, if anyone needs to measure my fiancé's inseam, I'll be the one doing it" Sarah said, making no effort to hide the displeasure in her voice. "Why don't you run along now, before you lose this sale because of some silly misunderstanding" Sarah finished as she stood aside and waited for the salesgirl to make herself scarce. Once they were alone, Sarah stepped in and pulled the curtains closed behind her, taking her time to scan Chuck from head to toe, pausing to twirl her finger and smiling when her 'model' caught on and slowly pirouetted for her, taking his time as she instructed him earlier when he'd been modeling the first suit she'd selected for him.

"Fiancé?" Chuck asked as he posed for his beautiful partner, once again feeling a strange cross between embarrassment and pride as her eyes seemed to drink in every detail. When he heard the approving growl, he knew that she was happy with what she saw and he wanted to blush because of the attention…and the obvious hunger in her eyes.

"Yes, I'm sorry about that but the sales girls all seemed to want to make sure everything fit you just right so I had to make sure that they knew that you weren't some piece of meat to be stared at and lusted over…"

"Unless it was by you?"

"That's exactly right. Now, let me grab your street clothes and you can get changed back into them while I take care of having everything packaged so we can take it all home."

"Everything?" Chuck asked, bewildered as he tried to remember all of the clothes he'd tried on during the last two hours.

"Of course. I can't have my 'fiancé' looking anything but handsome whenever I have him on my arm."

"So, not only am I engaged, I'm also your arm candy?"

"Well, of course" Sarah answered, her hands held out as Chuck slowly removed the clothes he'd just finished trying on. "While I'm taking care of everything, you can have that little talk with Bryce that you seem to think is so important. You'll have ten minutes and then we're going to your place so we, and by that I mean me, can decide which of these yummy suits you'll be wearing to the function tonight. I'll be back shortly" she informed him after taking the last of the clothes, and the shoes, and turning to leave. "Ten minutes, Chuck" she said after pausing and turning back to him, giving him a slight nod of her head as she indicated the stall next to them.

"Yes ma'am" Chuck answered with a nervous smile as he reached for his jeans that Sarah had brought in to him just moments before. I'll see you soon, honey" he added, smiling when he realized that 'honey' might be one of nicknames that Agent Sarah Walker wasn't fond of.

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Back in his own clothes, Chuck walked back into the dressing room he'd occupied just minutes before, hiding a smile when he found Bryce Larkin leaning back against the rear wall, both sides of his nose stuffed with tissue. Closing the curtains behind him, Chuck stood waiting, wondering when the man in front of him would start talking.

"Chuck, are you absolutely certain about me not being able to upload the Intersect?" Bryce asked, his attention now on Chuck.

"You know there are very few absolutes, Bryce, but trust me on this, if you try, you'll probably die."

OK then, well, in that case, there's no need for me to get the Intersect program back from you as long as you're sure that you can keep it safe."

" I'm very sure that I can keep my copy safe" Chuck answered, watching as Bryce gently removed the wads of tissue from his nose and the gingerly ran his fingers along the sides of his nose. He waited and about thirty seconds later, he got the response he'd been waiting for.

"Your copy? There's more than one? How the hell did that happen and who else has a copy?"

"When I first uploaded the Intersect, it hit me hard and I was out for a while. Ellie went though my computer and copied the program. She's got it stashed somewhere and she told me that if something ever happened to me, she'd upload it herself and go after whoever she thought might be responsible" he said and turned around when he heard the sharp intake of breath behind him. Sarah had joined the 'party' and she didn't seem to be overly happy with what she'd just learned.

"How could Ellie upload it if I can't?" Bryce asked, less than thrilled to find out that there might be someone else who could do what he had come to learn he was unable to do.

"Ellie took the image retention test and her score indicates that she'd be able to handle the upload, maybe even better than me…so there's a fun little bit of news to remember" he said as he looked from Bryce to Sarah and then back again.

Both Sarah and Bryce looked shocked about this latest news, each realizing that there was now someone else who would need to be watched.

"Listen guys, we are the only ones with this bit of knowledge and I want it to stay that way. Ellie wouldn't use it unless she felt the need was great. She told me that and I believe her. As long as we keep me safe, everything will be fine." When he didn't get any response from the other occupants of the tiny dressing room, Chuck eased past Agent Sarah Walker and stepped out through the curtains. Stopping just outside, he looked back at the two Agents who were both still stunned.

"Bryce, it was great seeing you again" Chuck said, making no effort to hide his sarcasm, "I really hope we can do this again, real soon. Sarah?…SARAH!…would you mind if we got out of here? All of this 'modeling' has worn me out. I'd like to stop for lunch before we head back to the apartment to start getting ready for tonight" he said before reaching out a hand and taking one of hers in it, pulling her along behind as he headed for the checkout counter, afraid to see how many bags were waiting for them there. He wasn't really looking forward to the function tonight but he told himself that he had to go, that he and Sarah needed to identify El Ciudad and maybe, if luck was with them, apprehend the murderous scumbag…and maybe have some great hors devours as well.

**A/N: **Second shot of me begging you to take some of your valuable time and tell me how wonderful(or not-so-wonderful) I am. Yup…it's reviewing time…if you don't mind.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: **Hey there…glad you could make it…hope this was worth the wait…hope you like it…hope that Snookie does decide to stop using that nickname and goes back to her real name…Beelzebub…welcome to the early middle of my A/N…hope it's been thrilling so far…hope you're so happy that you'll remember my pleading and hit that review thingie after you read this chapter…hope that everyone knows that I don't own Chuck and I make no money from this…hope everyone is amazed and thrilled with the knowledge that I do this without a beta, making all of the errors my own…hope that everyone who has alerted or favorited me or my scribbles knows how much I appreciate their support…hope that the following people don't mind me singleing them out for a thank you(ygbsm, tw200,batty,chas58,chuchreader,quistie64,coreymon,reyes9,STN)...hope that the people I forget to single out don't let my defective brian drive them into a deep pit of hopeless dispair where they sit around, fixated on photographs of b-list celebritie's feet and close-ups of the same b-list celebritie's toes...sorry prince boo boo...i still live with the regret that your condition causes me, hoping that one day a cure may be found ...I hope I haven't used the word hope to many times in this A/N causing the serious writers here to all raise their eyebrows and sigh at the meanderings of…well, me. Thanks for the nudge, Jim. **JT**

**Bryce Larkin - Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 17**

Chuck found himself staring at the door to Ellie's apartment, the fingers of both hands wrapped around the handles of almost a dozen bags that were full of the clothing Sarah had picked out while they'd been shopping.

"Is there a problem, Chuck?" Sarah asked, the tone of her voice telling him that she had already discerned the problem and was planning to tease him about it.

"Well, it seems that the door is locked, the keys are in my pocket and my hands are full of all this crap" he replied, looking over his shoulder to offer the blonde behind him his best 'like you didn't already know' look.

"Crap, Chuck?" was the reply he received along with a pout that told him that 'crap' might not have been the best word to use to describe the cause of his current predicament.

"I'm sorry, Sarah. I meant all of this wonderful clothing that not only reflects the amazing taste of the woman who selected it but that will also make her arm candy look unbelievably handsome when he has the great honor of escorting her to a special function later this evening" he responded, trying to hide the smile that fought to make itself known as soon as he noticed the smile growing on his partner's face. "Do you think you might be able to help me solve the problem of the locked door so that I can make sure that these wonderful garments are properly put away?"

"That was an amazingly nice blast of ass kissing, Chuck" Sarah answered as she stepped towards him, stopping when there was no space left between them. "Don't move Chuck" she demanded while slowly reaching her hands around his waist and sliding them into his front pockets.

"Sarah" Chuck squeaked out, the blonde's hands obviously over zealous in their search for his keys. "Sarah? That isn't my key ring."

"I know, Chuck…but it is the key to my happiness" Sarah whispered into his ear with a giggle as she tightened her grip a little. She felt Chuck turning his head towards her when she started to nibble at his neck and she couldn't help growling against his neck.

"Really? On the front step?" Ellie's voice asked, shaking both Chuck and Sarah from their special little world they'd managed to escape to for a few moments while they'd been absorbed in the great key search.

"Oh…Ellie…uh…why aren't you at work?" Chuck stammered out while swinging both handfuls of bag around to cover Sarah's exploration.

"Hi Ellie" Sarah added over Chuck's shoulder. "I was…uh…just looking for Chuck's keys."

"Sarah, please believe me when I say that I really don't want to know. I walk out my front door and find my little brother being groped and that's much more than I want to know."

"We just back from shopping and…uh…we…"

"Chuck, I don't want to know. I'm going back to work and I'm hoping it's so busy that I forget all about this" the older Bartowski explained as she skirted around the pair and headed towards the other side of the courtyard. "Remember to send me some pictures" she called back over her shoulder, "of the two of you dressed up" she added before turning at the archway and disappearing.

"I guess she wouldn't appreciate me sending her any of the pictures we took the other night" Sarah said before licking his earlobe while she pulled the keys she'd been searching for from his pocket.

"Oh, very funny, Agent Walker. I guess it's a good thing I deleted all of the pictures while you were asleep last night."

"YOU WHAT?" Sarah yelled, stepping back and pulling her phone from her pocket. "Chuck, if you…where the hell are my pictures, Chuck?" she asked after doing a quick search of her phone's memory.

"Don't you mean the pictures of me…naked…that you took while I was asleep?" he replied over his shoulder as he walked into the apartment.

"Where do you think you're going, mister? We're not done with this conversation…Chuck….Chuck…wait for me, you big butt head" Sarah called after him before putting her phone back in her pocket and hurrying to catch up with her curly haired nerd.

"I can't hear you, Agent Walker. I'm busy trying to figure out what I'm going to wear tonight"

"You don't have to figure anything out, Chuck" Sarah called after him, pausing to grab a drink from the kitchen before continuing on her way to Chuck's room. "I already know what we're going to be wearing so don't you worry your pretty little head about that."

"Sarah, when I used the phrase, 'arm candy', I wasn't being serious. I'm perfectly able to pick out my own clothes."

"I know you are, Chuck, but tonight you're going to let me help you get dressed and then later, after we get back to my place, you're going to let me get you undressed" she explained while standing in his doorway. "And then, you're going to pose for me, all sexy like, so I can replace the pictures that you removed from my phone."

"Yes ma'am" Chuck answered with a smile, knowing that some fights he just wasn't going to win.

"And you're also going to tell me what you did with the original pictures."

"Well, I guess we could work something out…if you're really nice tonight."

"Chuck Bartowski, you're being awfully brave for a piece of arm candy. Now, let's get your clothes together for tonight and then we'll head over to my place so we can get ready."

"Sarah, the function doesn't start for almost seven hours. It shouldn't take us that long to get ready" Chuck said after glancing at his watch.

"Chuck, we won't be spending the entire time getting ready…you can trust me on that."

"Yes ma'am."

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Chuck fought the urge to look down while Sarah worked at making his bowtie perfect. It wasn't that looking down would have been difficult, in fact it would have been very easy but the dress that his partner was wearing offered a stunning view of …well, the view was spectacular and he just knew that if he let his eyes drift downward, he would want to undue all of the work that the beautiful blonde had done in getting them ready.

"It's alright Chuck, I know you want to look and I don't mind" Sarah said, seeming to read his mind when she moved slightly, offering up an even more enticing view of her cleavage.

"Oh no you don't, temptress" he replied, gently pulling her fingers away from his tie and turning around so he was looking in to the mirror. Just as he reached his hands towards the already perfect bow, Sarah reached around and gently slapped his hands away.

"Leave that alone. It's perfect, just the way it is."

Chuck couldn't help smiling when Sarah appeared at his side, her hands gently tugging at her dress as she seemed to work at making her plunging neckline even more enticing. "Leave them alone" he said with a smile. "They're perfect just the way they are."

"Shut up, Chuck" she answered with a wink and looked like she was ready to say more when the door to her apartment swung open and they both turned to find John Casey walking in with an aluminum case in one hand and what looked like a lock pick in the other.

"Good. It looks like the two of you are ready to go" Casey said as he put the case he'd carried in on the nearest surface, tucking the lock pick away in a pocket as he opened the latches and threw back the top of the mission case. Looking up, he grunted at the pair as he started to extract items from their foam resting place. "Here" he announced, tossing two small devices in their direction.

Chuck caught both pieces, gave them a quick glance and then handed one to Sarah. "Ear whigs…sounds like some type of insect" he announced while deftly placing one in his ear, surprised at how well the tiny device seemed to fit. He watched as the beautiful blonde next to him repeated the motion and smiled when he suddenly heard Sarah's voice whispering in his ear, telling him that she really like the way his tuxedo pants looked on him.

"Oh god, Walker. These are meant for mission use and, despite your thoughts on the matter, commenting about your boy toy's ability to fill his slacks to your liking isn't something I want to hear anymore about" Casey's voice announced, both through the small device currently resting in his ear and from across the room where the big man stood with a sour look on his face.

Choosing to ignore the barb tossed their way, the pair made their way towards Casey, stopping beside him as he pulled a fancy looking watch from the case and handing it to Chuck. Next, he pulled a ring from the case and offered it to Sarah, smirking at the look on her face when she realized it was an engagement ring.

"Wow, Casey, I never knew you cared that much about Sarah. How long have you crazy kids been dating?" Chuck asked, failing miserably to hide a smile.

"Shut it, Bartowski. It's a tracking device, the bug is undetectable and would pass all but the most intensely stringent inspection and, like your watch, the device broadcasts short bursts that makes them almost untraceable…unless you happen to know the frequency. As far as your burst of wit, I seem to recall that Walker told several retail people this morning that she was your fiancé so I figured I'd work it in as part of the cover. Any problem with that?"

"I…uh, no…no problem at all" Chuck managed to reply while watching Sarah slowly slide the ring onto her finger.

"Great. Just remember that you don't have to send me an invite for the wedding" Casey grunted while closing the case and turning towards the door. "There's a limo waiting downstairs. I'm going to ride to the event with the backup team who are going to be handling the surveillance. Remember, they're not cleared for…" he said while tapping the side of his head, "…so remember that whenever you're speaking" he finished before opening the door and stepping into the hallway.

Chuck felt Sarah slip an arm around his waist, her hand falling several inches short of his hip, landing squarely on his ass. Because of her firm grip, he had no choice but to follow along as she headed towards the door.

"I'll let you propose in the limo" Sarah announced as they walked towards the elevator.

"Well, I'm sorry that I don't speak French like your last fiancé" Chuck announced, trying to keep the tone light. When Sarah's hand dropped away from his ass, he worried that he might have said the wrong thing and his fears were confirmed when she stepped away from his side.

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me of that, Chuck. You also aren't a fucking scumbag with an aversion to bathing and a small dick" she replied before stabbing a finger at the elevator call button.

"Great, just what the team and I wanted hear. How about you guys get your minds on the mission. You can always fight later" Casey's gruff voice announced his ear.

"Yeah, you got it" Chuck answered as he followed Sarah into the elevator. Once the doors closed, he turned and looked at his partner. "I'm sorry Sarah."

"Later, Chuck" Sarah answered, making brief eye contact before returning to staring at the control panel as the buttons for the floors blinked on and off as they descended towards the lobby.

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The limo ride , thankfully, wasn't very long and they soon found themselves standing at the entrance to the large room while a young man checked his list for their names, Looking up at them after scanning the list and finding their names, he waved them through without a second glance.

Chuck offered his arm and was somewhat relieved when Sarah looped her arm through his, smiling at him briefly before beginning to scan the room. He almost repeated his earlier apology but chose instead to follow her example and started looking around the room after he accessed the intersect for a program that allowed him to identify all of the obvious surveillance devices, the number of which surprised him. Speaking quietly, he listed everything he noticed and was surprised when an unknown voice thanked him for the information. 'Uh, you're welcome' he'd mumbled and the voice addressed him as Agent Carmichael, telling him that they were just doing there job.

"Agent Carmichael?" he mouthed towards Sarah when he caught her eye and decided to ask her about it later when she simply gave a small shoulder shrug and pulled him with her towards the far side of the room where the art was on display. About half way across the room, Chuck felt the Intersect kick in when he two men staring in their direction. Ignoring his first thought, he didn't point towards the men, instead whispering "MI6" and finding himself impressed when Sarah glanced at the men and smiled while giving his arm a light squeeze while changing their direction, pulling him towards a service bar.

"Champagne?" she asked as they stepped up to the bar where John Casey was busy pouring drinks. Once the big man stepped over to place a pair of glasses in front of them, Sarah checked that no one was close before telling the NSA Agent to keep an eye on Chuck while went over to 'visit' the pair of British agents.

Chuck's eyes followed Sarah as she made her way across the room and when he noticed that neither of the agents she was speaking with had threatening body posture(thank you, intersect) he returned to looking about the room. Deciding to try and do his part, he stepped away from the bar and started walking towards the art display, ignoring Casey's command that he 'stay'. 'Bartowski, I'm going to kick your ass' Casey's voice came through the ear piece.

"Remember how that worked out last time" Chuck replied as he stepped up to the first artwork, taking note of the artist's name and brief history that was displayed on a small card attached to the tripod that supported the framed work. Taking his time, he wandered among the works, doing his best to ignore the small talk that Sarah was engaged in, her obvious flirting leaving him with an odd feeling that he had trouble identifying.

Just as Chuck paused in front of a painting the he thought would look right at home on the refrigerator door of an overly proud parent, the Intersect activated and he suppressed a shudder when he realized that the frame of the painting contained a rather nasty surprise. He was about to step away and find his partners when he felt the presence of someone at his right side.

"It's rather striking, isn't it?" a woman's voice asked.

Yes, striking is definitely a word that could be used to describe it" he answered, "but it's not really my cup of tea. I'm more of a Jim Warren fan."

"Who?" the woman asked.

"Jim Warren? He does these really interesting paintings that…well, never mind. It's not that important. I don't know that much about art, I guess I just like what I like."

"I know what you mean, Mr.?…"

"Carmichael, Charles Carmichael" Chuck answered the woman's question while turning to get a better look at the person standing beside him. He noticed her stunning dress, surprised that someone had worn a dress with a more daring neck line than the one Sarah was wearing. Just as he was about to turn away, he noticed a faint scar that stretched from just behind her ear towards the back of her neck. He felt the Intersect engage and he fought the urge to run away when he realized that he was standing next to La Ciudad, the person who's identification and capture was the main reason for the night's mission. Closing his eyes briefly to gather his thoughts, he re-opened them just as the band changed their tempo, a tango taking the place of the easier jazz that had been playing in the background since he and Sarah had entered the party earlier.

"I've always loved the tango" La ciudad announced, turning to look directly into Chuck's eyes. "What about you, Mr. Carmichael? Are you a fan of the tango?"

"Oh, very much so" he answered, struggling to get his mind off of all the horrible images contained in the intersect, the visions of all of the people whose deaths were attributed to the woman next to him, "Miss…?"

"Please, call me Marlena" La Ciudad answered, reaching out a hand and taking Chuck's arm to lead him towards the dance floor.

Thanks to the Intersect, Chuck was very familiar with the tango and all of the possible moves that an expert level dancer might employ but that didn't stop the nervous feeling in his stomach as he and La Ciudad found themselves moving around the dance floor, their movements quickly drawing the attention of the people around them on the dance floor. Before he realized what was happening, Chuck looked around and found that he and his partner were now the only couple on the floor because everyone else had moved aside so they could watch as the tango was danced the way it was meant to be, with every expert twist and twirl eliciting murmurs of approval from the crowd that had gathered to watch.

As Chuck held La Ciudad in his arms as he dipped her towards the dance floor, he heard what sounded like a growl through is ear piece and was shocked when he realized that the sound was coming from Agent Sarah Walker who had returned to the bar and was staring daggers his way. 'So, Chuck' her voice came through loud and clear, 'did you get bored with the mission and decide to do some 'dirty dancing' with some skank?' Chuck felt himself beginning to get angry at ease with which Sarah jumped to a conclusion and he was looking forward to ending the dance so he could explain to her just how wrong she was. Of course, he'd also have to avoid becoming another number on La Ciudad's impressively scary resume.

The band finished the song and Chuck felt himself being pulled unto a close embrace by his dance partner and he found himself wondering if she was going to kiss him but she brushed past his lips at the last moment and leaned in towards his ear just as the crowd around them began applauding.

"Mr. Carmichael, you are an excellent dancer. Tell me, did the CIA teach you that?"

"What?" Chuck asked, not having to act surprised by the question.

"I noticed the MI6 agents earlier and saw you walk in with the CIA whore. I also watched you talking with the NSA's best 'bartender' and I'm sure that they're both hearing everything that I'm saying so, I think you'll be coming with me" she hissed before wrapping an arm around his waist and dragging him towards the side of the dance floor that was the farthest away from Sarah.

"What are you talking about, Marlena? I really don't have a clue what you're going on about. My fiancé and I just came her tonight to celebrate our engagement. I…" Chuck stopped talking when he noticed two huge men making their way towards them, both of them reaching into their jackets.

"Please, Mr. Carmichael…or would you prefer Agent Carmichael…either way, you will be coming with us since I wasn't able to procure what I originally came here for."

"What, do you expect to trade me for whatever you want?" Chuck asked as one of the two men fell into step beside him, jamming something into his lower back with enough force to almost knock the wind out of him.

"Trade you? You can't be serious. I know that I could never use you as a bargaining chip. The CIA would never allow it. No, Charles, I plan to put a bullet through your head as soon as I believe that I'm in the clear…and maybe I'll kill your fiancé as well."

As soon as Chuck had been dragged through a side exit, he pretended to twist an ankle, dropping the shoulder on his right side long enough to push La Ciudad away from him, breaking her hold on his arm. Swiveling quickly, he knocked his escort's gun away from his side and then locked his hand around the other man's elbow, spinning the big man around and then almost getting crushed when the giant suddenly pitched forward, a large red stain blossoming on the front of his shirt. Chuck allowed himself to be pushed backwards and then, at the last moment, ducked under the big man's right side and pulled the gun from the lifeless fingers of his right hand.

Rolling to his side, he came up in a kneeling stance, the unfamiliar gun leveled as he searched for the second man who suddenly dropped right in front of him, a bloody third eye appearing quite unexpectedly in the middle of the man's forehead. Ignoring the now neutralized threat, he looked to his left and barely managed to duck as La Ciudad swung a still smoking pistol at his head. He allowed himself to fall backwards as the woman he'd been dancing with less than five minutes before tried to take his head off with a well aimed kick that missed him by less than an inch. The Intersect told him that La Ciudad was now just a little of balance and he used the first option that the program offered him, jabbing out with his open hand, his fingers making contact with a nerve cluster just behind the woman's knee. He rolled out of the way as La Ciudad fell, her leg now unable to support her weight. He saw the raging hatred in her eyes as she leveled the gun that she'd somehow managed to avoid dropping in his direction, watched the tendons in her finger tense as she started to pull the trigger and he closed his eyes, knowing that even the Intersect couldn't make him move fast enough to avoid what was coming.

Instead of the deafening sound of a gun being fired in close quarters, he heard the loud snap of a bone being broken and he opened his eyes to find Sarah Walker standing over La Ciudad with her foot pressing down on the woman's arm just above the wrist, her own gun pointed down at the woman who's mouth was open in a silent howl of pain. His eyes met the brilliant blue ones that were looking down at him with a mixture of concern and anger.

"You two ok?" Casey asked as he appeared at Sarah's side, his own gun trained on the woman at his partner's feet.

"I'm fine" Sarah answered, nonchalantly applying a little more pressure to the broken arm under her foot,. "but you might want to wait until tomorrow before asking Mr. Bartowski that question. First he'll need to go through his first debriefing with Director Graham and General Beckman, after that, he'll be undergoing a much more stringent debriefing with me…after that, you can ask him if he's ok."

Chuck watched as Sarah stepped aside after their back-up team arrived and took La Ciudad into custody. He then took her offered hand and climbed to his feet, not knowing whether to smile or tremble when the blonde refused to release his hand, choosing instead to pull him back towards the party while tucking her gun away…somewhere.

"Where are you going Walker?" Casey asked.

"My fiancé owes me a dance" she replied without looking back, "and I intend to collect before we leave. Got a problem with that?"

"Uh, no. Just don't take too long" Casey called to their backs as he reached up and pulled the ear whig from his ear. "They don't pay me enough to listen to that crap" he mumbled as he slipped the small device into his pocket while he watched his two partners make their way to towards the dance floor.

**A/N: **Thanks for reading and thanks, in advance, for reviewing….please?


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: **I know, I know…it's been a little while…hope this chapter rewards your patience…I've got chapters percolating for ABFTP, SS, and RFW…hopefully I'll have something up before long…I must apologize for the fact that I have been sending out thank you note for all of you who make me feel appreciated by giving of your own valuable time in the forms of reviews…I'm really, very, extremely sorry…really…now, on to the stuff…I don't own Chuck or any of the characters that appear on the show…I don't make money by writing this thrilling, exciting, romantical stuff…go figure…all errors are mine because I perform beta-free…a HUGE thanks to everyone who reviews, alerts or favorites my stuff and last, but not least…thanks, Jim! - JT

**Bryce Larkin - Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 18**

Chuck was quickly losing patience as the de-briefing with General Diane Beckman and CIA Director Langstom Graham had stretched into it's third hour. Looking down at his wrist watch, he huffed when he realized that the meeting had actually reached the four hour mark. Looking back up he found everyone staring at him, his partners at either side and the big bosses from the video monitor that hung from the wall across from them.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Bartowski, are we cutting into your valuable personal time?" the General asked, the sarcasm practically dripping from her words.

"You know what, yeah, yes you are. We've been over and over this. We captured La Ciudad and thwarted whatever plans she had and I've explained this to you four times now…"

"Bartowski!" Casey barked at him, starting to get to his feet.

"Stow it, Major" Chuck replied, getting to his feet, stepping back from the table and assuming a defensive stance. "I've had enough. I'm tired and I really don't need any of your shit." Turning to face the monitor but keeping an eye on the big man next to him, Chuck to a deep breath before speaking. "General, Director, I'll be happy to send you a written report on everything that happened tonight but right now, I'm going home."

"Mr. Bartowski, you will sit down and you will go over whatever we want you to go over, as many times as we want you to" the General said . "That's what we're paying you for, that's why you're wearing your shiny new clothes and that's what you'll do."

Chuck began to unbutton his dress shirt, keeping an eye on both Casey and the monitor. Once he'd removed his shirt, he kicked off his shoes, undid his belt and then dropped his pants. When he was left with nothing on but his boxers and an undershirt, he slowly removed the wristwatch he'd been given earlier and dropped it onto the table top.

"Chuck, what the hell?" Sarah asked under her breath as he began to back away from the table.

"Is there a point to this strip tease, Mr. Bartowski?" Director Graham asked.

"Yeah, there is. While we may have a tenuous agreement about me working for you, until I've signed a contract, you're not going to treat me like I owe you something. Here's some of my 'shiny' new clothes and I'll make sure the rest are returned to you tomorrow, first thing. It's been a blast but I'm outta here" he answered before turning and walking out Casey's front door, slamming it behind him.

"General, permission to retrieve the asset" Casey growled, his fists clenched at his side as he struggled to control his anger.

"At ease, Major" the General responded before turning her gaze to Sarah Walker. "I was under the impression that you had the asset under control, Agent Walker. Is there something that we should know?"

After giving a quick glance towards the front door, Sarah turned back to the monitor. "Director, General…I can honestly say I don't know what prompted Chuck's outburst. As soon as we're through with this de-briefing, I will find out what is going on.'

"And you will inform us if there is a problem" Director Graham said, leaving no doubt that it wasn't a request.

"Yes sir" Sarah said, before getting to her feet and starting to gather up the files spread out in front of her.

"I'm sorry, Agent. Did I miss the part where we finished this meeting?" General Diane Beckman asked.

"Uh, no ma'am" Sarah answered, sitting back down.

"Alright then, where were we?" Director Graham asked.

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The meeting lasted nearly another hour and Sarah was on her feet moments after the video connection closed, her hands working furiously to gather up all of the files in front of her. After handing the stack of files to Casey, she gathered up the clothes that Chuck had left and carefully draped them over her arm before she turned and headed towards the apartment's front door.

"Gonna go find your boy toy, Walker?"

"Go fuck yourself, Casey!" Sarah yelled, slamming the door after leaving the apartment. After pausing to take a deep breath and then a second, she started across the courtyard, wondering just what she'd say to Chuck when she got to 'Casa Bartowski'. Realizing how late it was, she changed her course and went around to the 'Morgan' door, hoping to avoid waking up Ellie or Devon.

Finding the window closed and secured, she reached up and pushed the quick release she'd installed a couple of days before after a late night visit, or booty call as Chuck teasingly referred to it, had resulted in both Ellie and Devon walking in to see who'd been knocking on Chuck's window. Stepping into the room, she was surprised to find it empty. Looking around, she found all of the new clothes she'd help select sitting on the end of the bed. Crossing the room, she added the clothes she'd brought from Casey's to the pile and then opened the door, silently making her way towards the bathroom, hoping that Chuck might be showering. Easing open the bathroom door, she was about to step in when she realized that the shower was indeed occupied but not by the curly headed person she was looking for.

"Dammit" Sarah cursed under her breath. 'Where the hell are you, Chuck?' she asked herself as she retreated to his bedroom. Pulling her phone from her pocket, she hit the number 1 speed dial and then disconnected as soon as she heard the sound of her ringtone coming from the other side of the room where his phone sat on it's charging base.

Her brow now beginning to wrinkle with concern, she was about to activate the GPS tracking ap when she remembered that Chuck's watch was still sitting on the table at Casey's place. "Crap" she said softly before moving over to Chuck's desk and used a pen to leave him a brief note, asking him to call her as soon as he found the note. She really hoped to find him before he found the note but figured it was better to cover her bases.

Dreading her next step, she exited the room, closing and securing the window behind herself. Moving quickly, she made her way back to Casey's apartment and let herself in, her picks making quick work of the locked front door. Stepping into the apartment, she'd just closed the door when she heard the un-mistakable sound of a safety being clicked off followed by a round being racked into a chamber.

"Casey, it's me".

"What the hell, Walker? I was about to hit the shower. I figured you'd be letting the nerd fill your USB port by now. Why are you back here?" he finished while stepping into view while un-cocking his pistol.

"I need to check your surveillance feeds for the last hour" she answered while making her way across the darkened room and slipping into the chair in front of the NSA agent's desk. "Maybe you should find a robe."

"Why do you need to check the…don't tell me you've lost Bartowski. Why don't you just activate the tracker in his watch?"

"Because…" Sarah answered over her shoulder, using one hand to point towards the time piece still sitting on the table, "and before you ask, his phone's in his room, charging" she said while watching the different video feeds that where playing at an accelerated rate on the monitor in front of her.

Casey had disappeared while Sarah watched the video of her curly haired asset leaving Casey's apartment, crossing the courtyard and then disappearing through the front door of Ellie's apartment. By the time Casey re-appeared, Sarah knew that Chuck had left the apartment and driven away in Ellie's car.

"Shit!" Sarah said before backing the video up and re-watching as Ellie's car disappeared from camera range. "Where the hell did you go?" she mumbled to herself before backing the video up and watching it for a third time.

"Here" Casey said from her side, handing her his phone. She looked down at the display, taking note of the small blinking dot.

"This is Chuck?"

"No, that's his sister's car. I figured that it would be a good idea to chip both her and Woodcomb's car…just in case we ever needed to track either of them" Casey answered while moving closer and backing up the up the video Sarah had just been watching. He snorted when he found an image Sarah had missed, calling her just before she steeped out the front door. Once she'd returned to his side, he pointed out what he'd found and snorted again at Walker's sudden intake of breath.

"Mamma Bartowski sure looks pissed" Casey said as Sarah stared at the image of Ellie, standing outside her front door, still dressed in her scrubs and offering the one-fingered salute to the camera, obviously well aware of it's position. "Guess Chuck tattled on you" the big man said, obviously taking pleasure from Sarah's discomfort.

"Maybe, or maybe she just wanted to let you know that your Friday dinner invitation had been cancelled" Sarah replied as she turned to head back to the front door. "I'll bring your phone back" she added just before stepping out and closing the door behind her.

"You better not have gotten my dinner cancelled, Chuck" he mumbled to himself, remembering just what a great cook the elder Bartowski was.

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Sarah pulled into the empty parking space next to Ellie's Saturn, the GPS from Casey's phone having led her to the almost deserted parking lot that overlooked an equally deserted beach. After shutting off the headlights, she turned the key to kill the motor and quickly climbed out of the Porsche. After a quick inspection of the car next to her revealed no Chuck, she kicked off her shoes, pocketed her keys and headed towards the beach. Stepping off the boardwalk, she paused to look around and once she spotted her quarry, she took off across the still warm sand towards the man who'd taken a surprisingly important part of her heart, hoping that whatever had pissed him off earlier wasn't something she'd done.

'What the hell?' she asked herself, wondering just when he'd taken such a strong hold of her. Confused, she stopped moving, and stood still while she thought back, trying to remember the exact moment she'd given him more than she'd ever given anyone else. Unable to pinpoint the exact moment, she resumed her movement, promising herself to figure out the answer soon.

The sand seemed to be getting warmer and that told her that the air was simply getting cooler, the breeze from the ocean raising a bumper crop of goosebumps all over her body. Crossing her arms as she came to a halt just a couple of feet behind Chuck, she smiled when she saw the blanket wrapped around his shoulders.

"Chilly?" Chuck asked.

"How did you know I was here?"

"Chilly?" Chuck repeated, holding one arm out in an open invitation to join him under the blanket.

Deciding to take the invitation, Sarah scooted around and ducked under the outstretched arm, tucking herself into his side, her arms wrapping themselves around him and pulling herself closer to him. She wanted to purr when Chuck dropped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her t him, reaching across with his other hand and pulling the blanket completely around them.

"Better?" Chuck asked, resting his chin on the top of her head as she tucked in against his chest.

"Much" Sarah answered, the sound of Chuck's heartbeat against her ear already calming her. "I'm sorry" she said, not sure if she'd actually done anything wrong but deciding to try a pre-emptive apology, just in case.

"Sarah, you didn't do anything wrong. I should be apologizing but …well, I was just pissed about having to sit there for four hours and keep saying the same things, over and over again. I realize that is part of the job but it just pissed me off."

"And the strip tease? Hoping to get the General all hot and bothered?"

"What? Oh god! Absolutely not! Are you crazy?" Chuck blurted out as he leaned away from Sarah, his eyes opened as wide as they would go. Ready to continue with his denials, he felt Sarah shaking against him and realized she was laughing. "Oh, very funny. Maybe I should take my blanket back" he said, slowly beginning to move the arm that was draped across his companions shoulders.

"Oh no you don't, Chuck Bartowski!" Sarah said, using both of her arms to pull herself closer to him, even wiggling around so she was straddling his lap, her legs now locked around his waist. "You need to keep me warm" she added, her mouth now inches away from his ear.

"Yes ma'am" he answered, his arms drawing the blanket tighter around them as he fought against the growing urge to attack her lips. His battle was lost when Sarah chose the same tactic he'd been considering, her lips finding his and her toingue demanding admittance, which he happily granted.

Time seemed to stand still as they explored each other's mouths, finally taking a break for air after what seemed like hours. Chuck felt one of Sarah's hands begin to drift towards his crotch and as much as he never wanted her to stop, he knew that even though the beach was nearly deserted, if he let things progress much further, they both might end up getting arrested for extremely lewd behavior.

"Not here, Sarah" he whispered into her ear just as she'd reached her destination and started to stroke him through his sweat pants. "It's a public beach."

"So?"

"So, I'd like to avoid getting arrested, if at all possible."

""Trust me, Chuck" Sarah breathed into his ear, "my badge will get us out of any trouble we might get into" she finished and then nipped at his earlobe, catching it between her teeth and pulling at it while her hand continued to stroke him.

"Sarah" Chuck managed to gasp out, her attack on two fronts leaving him reeling, "sand, cold…Casey" he added, finally managing to get the attention of the blonde angel in his lap.

"Casey? What about Casey?" his lap mate asked, the confused look on her face providing Chuck with the opening he needed. Taking advantage of the brief lull in the action, Chuck released his hold on Sarah and quickly threw the covering off of both of them. Sarah jumped to her feet and moved away, intent on grabbing the blanket and then getting back to what she'd started. Bending over to grab the material she needed to complete her mission, she straightened back up and turned around only to find Chuck already up and on his feet.

"Calm down, Sarah" he said in what he hoped was a soothing tone while he slowly began to back away from her.

"Calm down? After you get me all hot and bothered? Oh no, that won't do at all, Charles Irving Bartowski, That. Won't. Do. At. All!" she hissed just before lunging towards him. She stumbled when her target sidestepped and before she could recover, he was moving across the sand, heading directly towards the parking lot at a surprisingly fast pace. She took a step to begin her pursuit and couldn't believe it when she tripped on the blanket that was hanging from her hand, going ass over tea-kettle to end up sprawled on her back. "Chuck" she called out, more in surprise than pain, "help me".

She slowly sat up and watched as a wary Chuck slowly edged towards her.

"Are you ok, Sarah?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just tripped over your stupid blanket"

"Stupid? You really seemed to like it a few second ago."

"Don't argue, just get over here and help me up."

"No, no I don't think so" he replied, having seen something in Sarah's eyes that told him to keep his distance. "I'm going to go ahead and take Ellie's car back to the apartment" he said as he continued to slowly back away. When he saw Sarah make a sudden move to her feet and she growled at him, he turned and fled, once again moving as fast as his legs would carry him. "I'm taking Ellie's car back. If you would like to talk, I'll be happy to meet you at the fountain in the courtyard" he called back over his shoulder, not bothering to look back.

Sarah considered resuming the chase but chose instead to sit back down on the sand. It started slowly at first but soon she was laughing harder than she'd laughed in years. "Fine, Chuck" she called after him, "but we're going to have to work on this aversion you have to PDAs."

"PDAs?" Chuck's voice drifted back to her from the parking lot. "We'll have to compare notes on what we each think PDA stands for. Until then, you're cut off" he yelled back with a laugh before quickly climbing into his sister's car and driving away. "oh crap, what did you just say, you idiot" he mumbled to himself as he watched the rear view mirror.

When he reached the stop sign at the exit for the parking lot, he rolled down his window and as he began to pull away, he heard Sarah calling after him.

"I know where you live…and where you're going to be sleeping tonight!"

**A/N: part 37 - **Thanks for reading. Hope you liked it and maybe were rewarded with at least one smile for your effort. Any and all reviews are greatly appreciated.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: **This a little shorter than usual but I wanted to get something out to all of you who enjoy this little tale…and thanks to everyone who has taken the time to alert, favorite and/or review. Remember, I don't own Chuck, I don't make money doing this and any and all errors are my own because I do this beta-free. Still having fun so thanks to Jim for the nudge. **JT**

**A/N:33 **I recently published Chapter 1 of Sarah Walker-Broken Beyond Repair and invited anyone who wanted to to come play in the sandbox so if you're interested, check it out. Story ideas, chapters, one-shots...any and everything is

**Bryce Larkin - Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 19**

Chuck Bartowski sat on the edge of the courtyard's fountain, staring up at the surprisingly clear night sky. He'd been watching the front entrance, waiting for Sarah to appear, wondering what kind of mood the blonde would been in when she showed up, hoping it would be the playful Sarah and not the sometimes scary Agent Walker. He'd been anticipating her arrival but after five minutes he'd happened to glance upwards and been mesmerized to find that some trick of the weather had provided a cloudless and, even more shocking, smog free view of the stars.

Silently naming the constellations as he recognized them, he'd gotten through the big dipper, the small dipper, Sagittarius, Taurus, Leo and when he recognized and then named Orion, he'd nearly cried out after the intersect kicked in and dumped an unbelievably large amount of knowledge into his head, the sheer size of the flash giving him a huge headache that seemed to center itself in the middle of his forehead.

The wave of dizziness and nausea the accompanied the flash made him grateful that he was sitting because he was sure he would have fallen if he'd been standing. Bending forward, he allowed his head to drop into his hands while he took deep, steadying breaths, trying to keep the contents of his stomach from ending up on the ground between his feet. Closing his eyes in an attempt to fight of the nearly overpowering feeling of vertigo, he reached a hand out and scooped a little of the fountain's cold water and then splashed it on his forehead, hoping the change in temperature might help to lessen the headache that continued to pound behind his eyes.

Despite having his eyes closed and his ears ringing, he knew when Sarah had entered the courtyard, the light breeze that got there before her carrying with it the faint smell of citrus and vanilla. He lifted his head and had a second to regret his action before his eyes rolled back in his head and he felt his body pitch forward…and then he didn't feel a thing.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Sarah had parked her Porsche and was making her way towards the courtyard of the apartment complex when she caught sight of Chuck, sitting on the edge of the fountain with his head cradled in his hands. Worried that something might be wrong, she increased her pace and had taken two steps into the courtyard when she saw Chuck's head lift from his hands and then, moments later, pitch forward onto the concrete, his unmoving body shooting a bolt of pure panic through her body.

Five quick steps brought her to Chuck's side and moments later she was kneeling with his head cradled in her lap, her fingers brushing the curls from his forehead while she did a quick visual inspection, looking for any outwards sign of whatever could be causing his condition. Finding nothing during her quick inspection, Sarah put two fingers on his neck and breathed a sigh of relief when she found a strong and steady pulse.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her phone and was about to push the emergency alert button but paused when the sound of a door opening behind her let her know that Casey would soon be on scene. Slipping her phone back into her pocket, she looked over her shoulder and after confirming that the big NSA agent would soon be there, she looked back down just as Chuck's eyes opened.

"Chuck? What happened? Are you alright? What's wrong? What's…"

"Sarah, slow down" Chuck said, lifting his hand and gently placing a finger against her lips. "I'm fine, just a little headache" he added.

"Chuck, you just fainted, so you're not fine" she answered, taking the finger he'd been holding to her lips and wrapping it between her hands. "Do you have any idea what happened?"

"What's wrong with the moron?" John Casey asked, looking down at the pair.

"I just got a little dizzy" Chuck answered, looking up at the big man who was now standing next to them, his robe hanging open to reveal his black sweat pants and a 'Ronald Reagan Forever' t-shirt. "Really, Casey, forever?"

"Well, if you're feeling good enough to question The President's place in history, I guess I don't need to call an emergency crew to get your head out of Walker's lap" the big man said before turning and stomping away. "Next time you decide to put your face in Walker's mommy parts, how about doing it behind closed doors" he added over his shoulder and then turned again, missing the one fingered salute from his two partners.

"Chuck, do you feel like getting up?" Sarah asked with a look of slight concern.

"Yeah, I think I'm ok" Chuck answered, sitting up and moving slowly to sit up. "My head still hurts" he added as he got to slowly to his feet.

Sarah moved closer and snaked an arm around Chuck's waist when he started walking towards the apartment. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"It was an Intersect flash. The biggest one I've ever experienced."

"Flash?"

"Yeah, that's what I call it when the Intersect activates and feeds me information" he replied, realizing that the woman at his side had no real idea of how the thing in his head actually worked. When he noticed the quizzical look on her face, he decided that he needed to explain to her just what the program in his head did. "I'm going to take a quick shower and then, if you want to stick around, I think I should tell you what I know about this program in my head" he added, tapping a finger to his head before guiding through the front door of Casa Bartowski.

"Not to sound all girly, but do you think we could snuggle while you tell me how your brain works?" Sarah asked with a soft growl.

Chuck couldn't help but smile. "That's your question? I figured you'd ask to wash my back."

"I have to ask?" she replied while dropping her arm from his waist and going to work on the buttons on her blouse, dropping the garment and starting on her jeans before they'd reached the bathroom. "Your sister and Devon are both working an overnight, right?"

"Yeah, I think so. Why?"

"Because I really don't want 'CB' showing up while we're in the shower. You owe me, Mr. Bartowski."

"I owe you?" Chuck asked and then lifted his arms over his head so Sarah could pull off his t-shirt, her eagerness leaving no doubt that his clothes would be coming off, with or without his help.

"Oh yeah, after that little strip tease earlier and then, leaving me hanging at the beach…yeah, you owe me" she stated while her hands made short work of his belt and then the buttons on his 501s.

Before he could think of a suitable response, his jeans and boxers were both pooled around his ankles and he barely had the chance to step out of them before Sarah was dragging him towards the shower, her hand firmly gripping his 'un-official' handle.

"I still have a headache."

"And 'someone' doesn't seem to be affected by your headache" Sarah replied, closing the glass door behind them and urging him to join her under the pulsing shower spray.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The shower had lasted until the water started to loose it's warmth and their aquatic activities had moved to the bedroom after a brief break to dry themselves and a glass of ice water.

"You realize that we're all sweaty again, right?" Chuck had managed to gasp out while trying to catch his breath,

"And you're complaining?" Sarah wheezed back, just as short of breath as the nerd who was looking up into her eyes.

"Not at all. Just pointing out that we're probably going to have to take another shower."

"I know, isn't that great?" Sarah asked with a smile, rolling to the side and snuggling against her partner. "How's that headache, Mr. Bartowski?" she whispered into his ear before grabbing his earlobe between her teeth and giving it a playful tug.

"Gone. It's a medical miracle. Can I call you whenever I have a headache?" he asked, adding an eyebrow wiggle.

"Of course you can. I'll always be willing to help you get over a headache" Sarah responded and then leaned in and nibbled at Chuck's neck. "Now, promised to tell me what happened earlier."

"I did?"

"Well, technically, you told me you'd explain how your brain works and, if that had anything to do with what happened in the courtyard, then I think you should explain it all to me" Sarah answered, raising up on an elbow to look into the brown eyes that seemed to have such an effect on her. "So, let's hear it" she practically demanded, lowering herself back down so her head could rest on his chest.

"All right. You know the Intersect…"

"Chuck, I'm not an idiot. I may not be as smart as you but please just talk to me like I can make sense of whatever you say. I promise, if anything really confuses me, I'll ask you to dumb it down…ok?"

"Yes ma'am" he answered with a smile and then placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "When I first uploaded the Intersect, I had no control over what could cause information 'dumps' which I started thinking of as 'flashes'. It took a few days and several bottles of aspirin for the headaches that the flashes would cause before I was able to reprogram the Intersect."

"You re-programmed the program?" Sarah asked, realizing that she sounded a little awed and 'with good reason' she told herself. Everything she'd heard and read about the Intersect lead her to believe it was one of the most sophisticated programs in existence, having taken dozens of the greatest scientific minds that the US Government could find many years to write and the man she was cuddling with had re-written the program in a few days?

"Well…yes. I found the base code and re-wrote and re-structured it so I could access the information with greater ease and less headaches."

"So, what happened in the courtyard?"

"Well I was sitting there, thinking about how I'd acted a little immature earlier in the evening and I was thinking about how I could apologize. I happened to look up and, for some strange reason, noticed how clear the sky was. I started finding and naming the different constellations and when I got to Orion the hunter, the combination of the image and the name unlocked a huge freaking information dump. Bigger than anything I've ever 'flashed' on before. I don't know how long the 'flash' lasted but when it ended, my head felt like it was going to explode. I remember smelling you and when I looked up, that's when blacked out"

"You mean fainted, right?"

"Please, Sarah, blacked out sounds so much manlier."

"Ok, Chuck, you blacked out…why? What's so special about Orion the hunter?"

"Not Orion the hunter, just Orion. He was the lead scientist for the original Intersect project and when I flashed, all of this information that he'd included in his original programming suddenly opened."

"What kind of information?" Sarah asked, suddenly very worried about whatever Chuck had flashed on.

"Sarah, I can't tell you"

"Why not, Chuck?"

"Because there was just to much. Imagine the initial Intersect download was like a really good library at a small college"

"Ok, I think I get what you're saying."

"Well, the information that Orion had included with but hidden within his programming would be like the Library of Congress compared to the smaller library."

"Chuck, how could a person's brain possibly contain that much information?

"I don't know. What little I got from the brief skim I did of Orion's notes indicates that he figured out some way to store information at the cellular level."

"But Chuck, countless cells die every day so how could that possibly work?"

"Sarah, I just don't know. When I have the time I plan to review all of Orion's notes but, once again going on what little I looked at, once the Intersect program was uploaded to me, the program modified itself and now keeps moving the information, making sure that nothing is lost by moving anything from unhealthy or dying cells into newly produced cells."

"So, on the simplest level, the library books keep getting moved whenever a section of the 'library' get destroyed…but"

"Sarah, I don't know more, yet. I plan to find out but for now, I'd rather that Graham and Beckman don't now about the extent of my new knowledge."

"But what if you keep getting headaches, Chuck? Is it safe to have all of those 'books' floating around in your head?"

"It's not about all of those 'books', Sarah. It's not even about the back ups for the books or the back-ups for the back-ups. It was just the sudden unlocking of all of Orion's hidden information that briefly overloaded the system" Chuck said while lightly tapping the side of his head. "I'm fine and now I've got all of this new information that I can access" he added with a smile.

"Oh really, like what, Mr. Smartypants?"

"Well, I know how the Egyptians made beer, I know dozens of different forms of meditation, I have how to books for just about everything, I…"

"Hold on Chuck"" Sarah said with a strangely hungry smile. "I think a demonstration might be in order, Ok?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so. What did you have in mind?"

Sarah through a leg across Chuck's waist and moments later had her hands resting on his chest while she stared into his eyes. "First, pull up the meditation section."

Chuck blinked his eyes once. "Done."

"Now, pull up the ancient 'how to' section."

"Done" he responded after another blink.

"Now…" Sarah said before leaning forward and whispering into his ear.

"Tantric meditation and the what?" Chuck coughed out, his eyes opened to twice their normal diameter as he sat bolt upright in bed.

**A/N:2 - **Next time, Chuck asks the powers that be about…no, not that…about Orion.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: **This is a quickie that wrote itself and I'm not sure how it is…hopefully not too bad…I don't own Chuck or any of the characters from the show…and not owning means I'm blameless for the almost misogynistic emotional treatment of Sarah at the hands of her creators…she really wasn't treated well enough to make up for wringer that she…and we(the viewers) were put through, in my opinion…I'm not making money while borrowing the characters and making them dance to my 'music'…and all errors are my own…finally, thanks to all of you who take the time to read my doodles…your alerts, favorites and reviews make this all worthwhile. Thanks for the nudge, Jim. **JT**

**Bryce Larkin - Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 20**

Chuck groaned as he attempted his usual morning stretch, suddenly aware that the previous night's activities may have been more exercise than he'd ever gotten…in his life. Turning his head slightly so he could get a look at source of the light snoring sound that had awoken him, he groaned again as the muscles in his neck and shoulders screamed their disapproval.

"Chuck?" a tired sounding voice called.

"Yeah?"

"Morning. Why aren't you up making us breakfast?"

"Because…I'm pretty sure that you broke me last night."

"I didn't hear you complaining last night, Chuck. Now, breakfast, pretty please."

"I'm serious, Sarah. I don't think I can move" he announced after making another attempt to move and then groaning in pain.

"Alright, you big baby" Sarah said with a laugh and then moved to roll over only to stop abruptly and let her own moan of pain. "What did you do to me last night?"

"What did I do? I seem to recall someone telling me" Chuck started and then affected a higher voice, "download the Tantric meditation and then download the Kama…"

"So this is my fault? You're trying to blame me?" Sarah answered with a pout.

"If the shoe fits."

"How about if I use the shoe to beat your ass?"

"Alright, why don't you hop out of bed and get that shoe?" Chuck replied with a smirk.

"Maybe I will…in an hour of two" she answered before moving to wrap herself around her bedmate, tucking her face into her favorite spot right at the junction of Chuck's neck and shoulder.

"Yeah, maybe in an hour or five I'll be able to move enough to make us some lunch" Chuck managed to get out around a huge yawn.

"mmmmm hmmmm" Sarah managed to get out before allowing herself to fall back asleep, the steady beat of Chuck's heart, beneath her hand, calming her.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The sound of Chuck's phone ringing woke both he and Sarah, Ignoring the discomfort, He reached out his hand and grabbed the noise maker from it resting place on the bedside table.

"Meeting in forty-five minutes, bring the screamer" Casey's voice instructed him.

"Huh, whaaa?" Chuck somehow managed to reply.

"The General and the Director want to ask about what happened last night."

"Last night?" he responded, wondering how the bosses knew what happened the previous night and, more importantly, why they wanted to know.

"Yeah, moron, and I'm not talking about Walker finding religion, repeatedly, and quite vocally."

"What?"

"Listen, moron, don't make me play the audio recording from the courtyard's microphones. The powers that be couldn't care less about you rocking Walker's world. They are, however, concerned about you fainting. I was about to call for a medical response team last night before the skirt showed up and used the magical healing powers of her lap to wake you up. Meeting in forty-two minutes. Don't be late" Casey growled and then hung up before Chuck could offer any more of his insightful questions.

"Who was it?" Sarah asked, now sitting up next to him with a concerned look on her face.

"Uh, Casey?"

"Is there a problem, Chuck? Why is your face so flushed? Are you feeling ok?"

"We have a meeting in forty-two minutes and, uh, it seems that you may have been a little, uh, a little loud last night."

"What did that asshole say?"

"He told me to bring the 'screamer' who 'repeatedly found religion' last night."

"Oh god" Sarah said in a hushed voice.

"Exactly, uh, it seems that the courtyard surveillance picked up that phrase, repeated a lot, and evidently, a lot louder" Chuck answered, trying to contain his smile when Sarah Walker, super-spy, started blushing and then leaned over, burying her face against his chest. Moments later she started shaking and before he could ask her what was wrong, she rolled onto her back and let the silent laughter find it's voice, the sound soon echoing off the walls of the small room.

"Are you alright, Sarah?"

"Honestly? I've never been better, Chuck. Never! Now, get up, you big stud, and get the shower started."

"Yes ma'am" Chuck answered and slowly swung his legs to the side, his body protesting against the movement. Once on his feet, he turned and looked down at Sarah who still had a smile on her face. "Did I miss something?"

"No, just watching my sexy boyfriend. Make sure the water's really warm, the hotter the better."

"Yes ma'am."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

John Casey was about to make a call to remind his partners that the meeting was about to start when he noticed the front door of Bartowki's apartment. Expanding the view on the monitor, he almost smiled as he watched the pair make their way across the courtyard, both of them moving as if they were in a great deal of pain. Turning the chair he was sitting in, he watched his front door, already knowing what he planned to say when the pair walked in and just hoping they'd make it before the video link activated. He really wanted to take the shot without an audience.

When the door knob began turning, he looked down at his wristwatch and smiled to himself. "Perfect" he mumbled to himself as the door swung open and Chuck stood aside, allowing Sarah to enter first.

"Screecher…Moron…glad you could make it" he called out and then spun his chair back around just as the video link from Washington activated and the images of General Beckman and Director Graham appeared on the monitor that hung from the wall he was now facing.

"Major, where are the other members of your team. Didn't you…oh, hello Agent Walker, Mr. Bartowski" the General said as Sarah and Chuck walked into view.

"My apologies, General, Sir" Sarah said as she stepped up and stood to Casey's left. Pulling her phone from her pocket, she quickly tapped a command and then held the display towards the NSA agent. "I was trying to locate an old photo for Major Cuffs…er, Casey that he had asked me about."

Chuck happened to look down just in time to see the image on the display of Sarah's phone and then quickly looked away, the sight of Casey, handcuffed to a bed with a tiny g-string struggling to hide all of his naughty bits being a sight that he feared he'd never be able to lose. "Holy crap" he mumbled as he tried to look away as quickly as possible without making his action too noticeable.

"If we're done with show and tell can we get to the reason for this meeting?" Director Graham asked, a look of mild annoyance plain to see on his face.

"Of course" Casey growled after giving both Sarah and Chuck a quick stink eye.

"First things first" General Beckman announced. "Mr. Bartowski, are you feeling alright? We are aware of the incident last night and would appreciate an explanation, if that is possible."

"The incident?" Chuck asked after giving Sarah a quick, questioning look.

"Yes, Mr. Bartowski. The footage we've seen appears to show you blacking out and, despite Major Casey's opinion that everything is fine, we'd like to hear your interpretation of the incident" Director Graham said, "and we'd like to schedule an MRI, with one of our local physicians, at your earliest convenience."

"Well, it appears that I stumbled across an unbelievably large cache of information that was included in the Intersect program. Apparently, a programmer with the code name of Orion…"

"Did you say Orion?" General Beckman blurted out, interrupting Chuck's attempted explanation, a look of concern on her face.

"Yes ma'am. Does that name mean something to you?"

"Major, I need you to run a quick diagnostic and tell me that all of your jamming equipment is currently activated before anything else is said" the head of the NSA said, the look of concern on her face causing the three people watching the monitor to exchange concerned looks of their own.

After checking something on his laptop, Casey got to his feet and moved quickly to the touch pad that was just inside, tapping out a complex pattern on the touch pad and then, satisfied with whatever he saw on the display, returned to his seat.

"Everything is five by five, General, and I just activated the back up jammers. There's no way anyone can hear anything that may be said on our end" the big man announced, his voice containing a hint of pride about his security measures.

"Good. Mr. Bartowski? Orion was the code name for the Intersect's inventor and lead programmer. Your…"

"My dad is Orion?" Chuck asked, not concerned that he'd just interrupted the General. "How is it possible that I didn't know that and, more importantly, why didn't you tell me that, ma'am? What the hell is going on?" he finished, sure that Casey was glaring at him, not happy that he'd been less than cordial in his outburst.

"Mr. Bartowski…Chuck…you weren't told about Orion because your father never made it known to us that he'd ever used the name for anything besides a code-name. We never knew that he'd included anything in the intersect besides what was listed in his reports. You're telling me that Stephen added information to his initial program that we were never aware of? How much?"

"General, I can't tell you" Chuck replied before turning to look at Sarah, sure that the stunned look on her face mirrored the look on his own.

"And why exactly 'can't' you tell us what he included, Mr. Bartowski. Is there a reason why you feel it necessary to withhold information?" Director Graham asked, getting back into the conversation.

"Because it would take me several lifetimes to even scratch the surface of all the knowledge that's locked away in here" he answered, gently tapping a finger against his head. The stunned silence that greeted his pronouncement seemed to stretch on for minutes, his two partners both staring at him and while the figures on the monitor stared at each other.

"How…" the General asked, breaking the silence.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I have a few theories" Chuck answered, his attention now back on the video guests, both of whom seemed to be staring at him with a look that seemed to be a mixture of confusion, wonder and worry.

"Could you make a rough guess?" Director Graham asked.

"Um, I believe you could combine the knowledge of the world's ten…no, make that twenty largest libraries and then multiply that by ten? Maybe more. I really have no way to calculate it. I'm pretty sure that my dad, and I'm only guessing here, found some way to gather information through the internet and, using some program of his own, converted and then stored everything he was able to gather in the Intersect program. I believe his program, once it had been activated, continued to gather and convert whatever it could find and than added it to the Intersect."

"How is that possible?" General Beckman asked, giving voice to the same question that everyone had been considering.

"General, I really wish I knew. I have to guess that the original program somehow mutated and continued to find, re-write and store knowledge. Hell, for all I know, the program could still be running, gathering knowledge and storing it…somewhere, just waiting for the command to add it to the original Intersect" Chuck said as the sudden urge to sit down forced him to step away from Casey's side and make his way to the closest flat surface, his knees threatening to buckle before he could make it to a recliner that was less than five feet away.

He dropped onto the Lay-Z-Boy and let his head fall into his hands, unaware that Sarah was kneeling at his side at almost the exact moment that he sat down, a look of worry and concern on her face as she reached out a hand and allowed it to come to rest on his thigh. He didn't see his other partner get to his feet and join Sarah at his side, the concern on his face plain to see.

"Jesus Christ" Chuck mumbled to himself as the odd theories he'd been considering seemed to overwhelm him. "What the hell did you do, Dad?" he asked, wondering if he would ever have an answer and stunned as he considered the enormity of his father's accomplishment.

"Chuck?" Sarah asked softly, her hand gently squeezing his thigh.

"What the hell am I?" Chuck asked when he lifted his head and stared into her brilliant blue eyes.

"You're Chuck Bartowski, my incredibly sexy boyfriend" she answered in a soft voice, lifting her hand and softly stroking his cheek. "And I'd really appreciate it if we could finish this silly briefing so you can take me out to dinner…and then maybe we can go dancing afterwards. Our, we could just stay home, order a pizza…"

"Vegetarian, no olives?"

"And then we can.." she leaned in and started whispering in his ear.

"What?" Chuck blurted out, suddenly alert and staring wide-eyed at the blonde angel kneeling next to him. "I haven't recovered from…"

"Ahem!" General Diane Beckman cleared her throat rather dramatically, hoping to get someone's attention and smiling when three heads whipped around to stare at her image. She recognized the shell-shocked look on the faces of the team members and decided to do something out of character and give them a break. "I realize that you might be feeling a little overwhelmed…"

"A little" Chuck said in a low voice, actually grateful when he realized that the General either hadn't heard him or had decided to ignore his comment, continuing on.

"…and I think that now might be the perfect time to wrap this up."

"Excuse me, General?" Casey asked "I thought you had some information that needed to be shared. That is why you called this meeting, isn't it?"

"Nothing that can't wait until, oh, tomorrow at noon?" she responded. "Director Graham and I need to finish our presentation so we'll reschedule this meeting for tomorrow" she said as her hand reached out and, before anyone in the apartment could say another word, ended the transmission.

"What…"

"the"

"hell?" Chuck, Casey and Sarah asked, exchanging confused glances.

"That's definitely something different" Casey spoke first, then got to his feet and headed towards his kitchen without a backwards glance. "Cold beer?" he asked.

"Yeah, definitely" Sarah and Chuck answered together, their eyes still locked on each others.

"Ok then" his voice drifted back to them along with the sound of a refrigerator door opening and bottles clinking together followed by the sound of the refrigerator door closing.

Chuck and Sarah both looked up as John Casey wandered back towards them, one hand gripping the long neck bottles and the other holding a stack of coasters.

"Might as well find somewhere to sit, Walker" he instructed and wasn't surprised when she slid into Chuck's lap, an arm immediately going around his neck. "I think we need to talk about a few things before tomorrow and right now is as good a time as any" he said as he held out his hand and, after two of the beers were taken, he moved to sit back down in the chair he'd recently vacated.

"Let's start with what happened last night…at the fountain" he quickly added, because he really didn't want to know what happened afterwards. The memories of Walker's repeated screams of religious affirmation were troubling enough, he really didn't want to know what the nerd had done to cause the screams.

**A/N:** Just a small chapter. Next time, a new mission for the team…and other stuff. Thoughts?


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone of you who voted for this story for the Awesome Awards…being nominated was a huge surprise and having this story win just warmed the cockles of this old fart's heart…sorry that it's been a while since the last update but…you know…life and all that…hopefully this chapter was worth the wait…and hopefully I'll be posting again soon…**Congratulations** to everyone who was lucky enough to be nominated for an Awesome Award…**Congratulations **to everyone who won an Awesome Award and, most importantly…**Thank you to everyone who took the time to take part in the Awesome Awards**…I must apologize for not keeping up with my response to the readers who are kind enough to leave reviews…I'm sorry and I'll try to do better…still having fun so thanks for the nudge, Jim.

Oldestman, glad to see that you're still gracing us with your presence and talent…keep up the fight.

Thoughts about this chapter…you know what to do. _**JT**_

**Bryce Larkin : Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 21**

Sarah Walker sat bolt upright, struggling against the scream that was trying to force it's way past her clenched teeth and closed lips. The dream, that was already starting to fade, had shattered her sleep and left her body damp with sweat. Turning eyes that were still fuzzy from sleep to her left, she released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding, reaching out a shaking hand to gently touch the man who was still asleep in her bed.

Pausing for a moment to quell the shakes that still racked her body, she took a second deep breath and then let her fingers trace the line of Chuck's jaw, coming to rest atop his jugular, breathing a sigh of relief to feel the strong, steady beat of his pulse against her fingers.

Closing her eyes, she caught another glimpse of the quickly unraveling tatters of the dream, images that had left her body covered in a sheen of cold moisture and still shivering, just a little. Visions of a battered and bloody Chuck that were, thankfully, fading away even as she tried to make sense of them. Sure that she remembered the smell of cordite, the thought of multiple bullets holes that had pumped his life blood out at horrifying volume, drenching her in the evidence of his impending death caused her to shudder violently. Her hand, that was still resting against his neck, ignored her commands and joined the rest of her body when it shuddered and the vibrations caused the unwitting star of her nightmare to awaken.

Between one heartbeat and the next, deep brown eyes that were filled with concern and worry were open and staring at her.

"Sarah, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Chuck, I…uh…"

"Sarah? Talk to me."

"It's nothing, Chuck, just a silly dream" she answered with an obviously forced smile, reaching out her hand and brushing her thumb against his cheek and then turning as if to get out of bed.

"Tell me about it, Sarah" he said, sitting up and reaching out a hand to grasp at her shoulder. "Please" he added when he felt her move to pull away.

"It was just a silly nightmare. Nothing to worry about" she replied, no longer pulling away but still holding her distance, her body tensed between the desire to ignore the troubling memories and the need to throw herself into Chuck's arms and hold him tightly until the last of the fear faded away.

"Please" he repeated, the tender concern in his voice finally convincing her to turn back to him.

"We…we were on a mission" Sarah started and then stopped with a confused look on face as she lifted a hand and wiped at the tear that making it's way down her cheek. "I don't understand" she whispered, her voice wavering slightly. After wiping the tear from one cheek, she was about to use her hand to wipe at the other cheek but was beaten to it, Chuck's thumb gently stroking the moisture from her face. Before she could say another word, the look of concern and something else in his eyes, something that she couldn't name, combined with his soft whisper of her name to drive her into his arms, lunging at the rock she knew her wave would break against.

Chuck watched as Sarah lunged at him, ducking slightly to wrap her arms around his back and tucking her face against his neck just as her body started to shudder and sobs escaped her. The drops that fell against his collarbone told the story of a woman crying but didn't tell him why and, because he couldn't imagine what might cause his blonde super spy to weep so inconsolably, he had to ask.

"Sarah?"

"You were dead, Chuck. You bled out in my arms and there wasn't anything I could do to stop it" she wailed and clutched him tighter to her, struggling to breath against the thunderous hammering of her heart the she was sure would explode from the overwhelming sense of loss that suddenly rushed back into her mind, accompanied by the visions from her dream that she now wished had faded away.

"Shhhh, Sarah…"

"We were on a mission and we…we got separated and…and I couldn't find you" she whispered in a broken sounding voice, each pause filled with a sob and a gasp of breath. "and I heard shots…and I turned a corner …and, and…and I saw you fall…and when I finally got to you…there was blood everywhere and…and I held you and watched the light fade from your eyes…and you wouldn't listen to me, you asshole!" she finished, nearly yelling into his chest before pushing herself away and launching a fist at his chest. "You would listen when I told you to stay!" she yelled and pounded on his chest again, her blows lacking their usual strength but solid, none the less. "And you died before I could tell you that I loved you!" she whispered in a voice wracked by sobs and, after giving him a look of shocked self-realization about what she'd just said out loud, she felt herself falling back against his chest and wrapping her arms back around his back and pulling him to her with all of her strength.

"Sarah" Chuck wheezed out, the force of her grip pushing the air from his lungs, "I'm right here…I'm not dead" he added, his arms pulling her tighter as he struggled to breath while whispering into her ear. "It was just a nightmare, I'm right here…I'm right here" he added while silently hoping she'd hear him before she squeezed the life from him. "I'm right here."

"I love you, Chuck" she whispered, her voice now filled with relief and wonder. "I love you" she said again as she allowed her grip to ease as some part of her told her that the man in her arms needed to breath.

"I love you, too" Chuck whispered after managing to pull a breath of air into his lungs as Sarah's vice like grip on him eased. Allowing his hands to gently stroke up and down her spine, he pressed his lips against her ear and placed gentle butterfly kisses there, each kiss punctuated with his assurances that he was right there, that he was fine, that he wasn't going anywhere and that, most important of all, he loved her.

Time ceased to have meaning as he rocked Sarah against his chest, cooing softly to her as she seemed to slowly get her emotions back under control. The sobs stopped and the sniffles slowly tapered off until the only sign of the outburst was the puddle on the front of his t-shirt. As the tears stopped, the firm grip slowly eased until the blonde head against him leaned back and tentatively looked up at him. He was surprised by the puffy, red rimmed eyes that found his, not because of the obvious signs that Sarah Walker was 'human', but because of the fear that seemed to be battling with wonder in her eyes.

"Sarah, what's wrong?"

"I love you, Chuck" she replied, as if that statement explained the warring emotions in her eyes.

"And?"

"I'm not supposed to, Chuck. I'm an agent of the CIA. We're not supposed to fall in love with our asset…it's not allowed" she answered, her voice growing quieter as she finished the answer and let her eyes fall from his. "I can't love you, Chuck."

"And?" Chuck asked, a finger under Sarah's chin gently lifting her face back up.

""Don't you understand, Chuck? I can't be in love with you" she responded, seemingly surprised that Chuck didn't seem to understand the problem and the possible repercussions.

"You've said that twice now, Sarah. Why can't you be in love with me?"

"Because it means that I'm compromised and that means I can't do my job."

"So, this feeling is something brand new? The nightmare somehow triggered this feeling that you didn't have before?"

"Well, no."

"So, this feeling has been there since yesterday?"

"Don't be silly, Chuck. It's been there for a while" she confessed with a small grin, the admission coming as a surprise to them both.

"So, Agent Walker, when exactly did you start shirking your responsibility as far as the whole, keeping me safe thing goes, not counting the whole attempted 'death by sex' thing the other night?"

"I didn't try to kill you with sex, Charles Bartowski" Sarah answered, a smile appearing on her face for the first time that morning. "If anything, you almost killed me with page 68" she added, poking him in the chest.

"So, it was your near death by orgasm that caused the scratches on my back" he replied, reaching out and grabbing the finger that was still resting against the spot she'd punched earlier.

"Scratches?" Sarah asked, a look of concern blossoming on her face. "What scratches, Chuck?" she asked, moving quickly to inspect his back. "I did that?" she blurted out when she caught sight of the angry red welts that criss-crossed his back. "Oh god, Chuck. I'm so sorry. Stay right there while I get some ointment to put on those" she told him with a hint of panic in her voice as she scrambled to get off the bed.

"Sarah, don't you dare move until I tell you to" he said, lunging after her and wrapping himself around her waist. "We need to finish this discussion about you being derelict in your duties" he announced while dragging her back to the middle of the bed.

"Chuck" she huffed, struggling against his hold on her but putting very little effort into escaping his clutches.

"Calm down, Agent Walker' he said after pulling her into the circle of his arms, her back resting against his chest. "Now, tell me, did you stop doing your job when you first noticed that your feelings for me were stronger than just handler and asset? Did you realize that you were compromised and immediately request that you be re-assigned?"

"I should have. That's the first thing I should have done if I'd been following protocol…wait, how do you know about recommended protocol?" Sarah turned her head to look the man in whose arms she felt at home, maybe for the first time in her life.

"Remember who I am?" Chuck asked while lifting a hand to tap at his temple.

"Oh…yeah" she murmured, missing and then grateful when the arm that had moved away, returned to it's place wrapped around her.

"So, have you allowed your vigilance to slip, Agent Walker?"

"Of course not, Chuck!"

"And are you planning to allow that to happen in the foreseeable future?"

"Of course not but…"

"But what, Sarah? 'But something could happen?'. You could make a mistake?"

"Chuck, please"

"What, Sarah? Do you want me to call Director Graham and have you replaced?"

"NO! Of course not!" Sarah answered with a pleading tone to her voice. "I…"

"You what, Sarah?"

"I don't want to leave you, Chuck" she whispered, "ever."

"Well then?" he asked, pulling her even closer to him, letting his lips rest near her ear. "Will you keep doing your job? Will you do everything you can to keep me safe?"

"Yes…oh yes" Sarah answered, surprised that Chuck's warm breath on her neck and ear hadn't reduced her to a wordless puddle of goo, bonelessly flopped in the circle of his arms.

"And will you promise not to put yourself at risk for me?"

"Chuck, I can't possibly promise you that. I'll do my job but I don't want to lose you so I won't do anything stupid…is that enough" she asked fearfully.

"That'll do, Special Agent Sarah Walker, that'll do" Chuck said and then nipped at her ear. Before he could say another word, the blonde in his arms spun around and wrapped her legs around his waist and threw her arms around him, her hands landing on just the right spots.

"Oww!" Chuck hissed, flinching.

"Oh god, Chuck, I forgot. I'm so sorry" Sarah whimpered, huskily, torn between the concern for the injuries to his back and vividly remembering just what they'd been doing that had lead to them. "I'm so sorry, Chuck. I didn't mean to hurt you" she blurted out, yanking her hands from his back and trying to hide the tears that suddenly threatened to spill from her eyes.

"Sarah, I'm fine. You didn't hurt me" he told her, pulling her to him and attacking her lips with his own, his tongue demanding entrance while one of his hands dropped from her back and grabbed her ass, squeezing gently when he felt her open her mouth and invite his tongue in to play. He felt Sarah's arms snaking under his and then wrapping around his upper arms, pulling him to her while she ground herself against his growing arousal, moaning into his mouth when he answered her by pushing himself up against her.

"I love you, Chuck Bartowski" she whispered into his ear after breaking the kiss, nipping at his ear and then sucking the lobe between her teeth for a quick nibble before releasing it and then working her way along his jaw with soft, wet kisses until she had once again reclaimed his lips.

"Page 68?" Chuck asked while taking a brief break to catch his breath.

"No, Chuck. No book, no tantric…just you and me" Sarah answered. I love you, Chuck Bartowski, and all I need right now is you…and less clothing, right about now" she added, letting her hold on him go so she could pull her top off, tossing the garment across the room and then reaching a hand down between their bodies, grabbing the front of his boxers and pulling them up.

"Sarah, boxers don't come off that way" Chuck said, worrying a little that she might ignore him and actually rip them from his body.

"I know that, Chuck" she replied with a laugh, releasing her hold and, after climbing from her position on his lap to stand beside the bed, pulled her own shorts down and stepped out of them. "That's how they come off or" she explained while bending over and grabbing the bottom edge of Chuck's underwear, " like this!" she exclaimed while jerking his down and off, before he could say a word.

"Well, that's a first" Chuck laughed and then quit smiling when he noticed the hungry look on Sarah's face. "Remember your promise to keep me safe?" he gulped.

"Only from people who want to damage you, Chuck"

"Are you sure you're not going to break anything? Remember, you said you love me."

"I'm not going to break anything, Chuck" Sarah announced, climbing onto the bed and crawling towards her prey. I might wear you out but I won't break you, I promise" Sarah growled at him before she pounced on him, landing with such skill that, if he wasn't thrilled and captivated by the feeling, he would've been impressed by the dexterity of the blonde vixen who'd brightened his life immeasurably by telling him that she loved him.

"Sarah…uh, we have a meeting this afternoon and…"

"Chuck, use that mouth for something fun and, hint hint, telling me anything that doesn't involve what we're doing right now? That isn't fun!" she explained before reaching her hands down and, using his ears as guides, drew his mouth to her chest, moaning agreement when his tongue found her pert nipple.

"That's more like it, Chuck. Don't think about stopping…unless you think of some other place that needs your tongue" she moaned into his ear. "I love you Chuck Bartowski."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The meeting had been going on for almost thirty minutes when Chuck excused himself, explaining his need to use the 'facilities' before getting to his feet and turning to leave the room.

"Mr. Bartowski!" the General spoke up, "is there something wrong with your back? Have you been injured somehow?"

"What?" Chuck asked, spinning back around to face the video monitor.

"There appears to be blood on the back of your shirt. Do you require medical aid?" the General asked, an eyebrow ticked upwards.

"Uh, um, no ma'am. I'm fine" Chuck coughed out, backing slowly away , his cheeks flushed a bright red.

"Agent Walker, do you have any idea how Mr. Bartowski injured himself?" General Diane Beckman asked, honest concern in her voice.

"No ma'am…but I'll go and check on him" Sarah managed to say with a straight face before getting to her feet and hustling from the room, ignoring the sudden coughing fit that seemed to plague Major John Casey.

"John, is Agent Walker compromised?" the General asked once Sarah had left the room, leaving no doubt that she exactly what had caused the damage to Chuck's back. "Do we need to have her re-assigned?"

"Yes ma'am, I believe she is but I don't think it would benefit the team's dynamic to remove Agent Walker from her position. I've seen no sign that she can't perform her duties and, too be honest, I have to say that I believe the asset might respond negatively to Agent Walker's absence. Let me continue to observe their work and if I believe their 'relationship' is becoming a detriment to the team, I will let you know, right away."

"Alright, Major" Director Graham said, joining the conversation for the first time. "This next mission will be a good indicator of any potential problems…we expect your honest assessment of the team's dynamic because we will not tolerate anything that might become a problem for Team Intersect."

"Yes sir, ma'am" Casey answered, somehow managing to give the impression of standing at attention and saluting without leaving his chair.

"And suggest to Agent Walker that she might try not injuring the asset…if at all possible" General Diane Beckman said before cutting the video feed.

John Casey wasn't sure he'd ever grow accustomed to the abruptness with which his boss ended any video conference but he'd seen something today he couldn't remember ever seeing before. General Diane Beckman had smirked after offering the advice for Sarah concerning her treatment of the moron. Allowing himself a brief smile, he looked forward to passing along the 'advice' and how and when he could do it for the most benefit.

"Major Cuffs" he mumbled to himself. "We'll see about that, Sarah Scissorhands" he chuckled, leaning back in his chair after lighting a cigar.

**A/N:2 **Hope you liked it. Thoughts?


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: ** I know, I know…it's been a while and the only excuse I can offer is…Life(business, bills, health etc. etc.) and for that, well, I'm sorry but I'm muddling as best as I can. First, I want to thank ayleaa, bigfan22, gtpse, ygbsm and the rest of you who have asked about the scribbles and just want to say that I'm going to try and do what I can, when I can. I also want to thank Mr.88 who took a look through the first part of this chapter and to apologize for not using all of the suggestions that would have, no doubt, made this better. Now, while I haven't been writing I've been reading a little and want to say thanks to steampunk, frea, dettoit, mvk, ygbsm, anthro, maverick, thereisanother, bigf22, thecharleses, angus, ninja and many others, who I'm no doubt forgetting, who keep this place alive with great stories. A huge shout out to quistie and the finish of the superlative SOMII…what a long and fantastic trip it was and I really hope we get to read more of that great world. This chapter is a little short and I'm not sure if I've re-captured the 'voice' for this world…please let me know what you think. Yeah, it's been a while and here I am, begging again…for your opinions of the scribbles.

A big thank you to Jim, for the initial nudge, and to Tom, for the periodic prodding…and to anyone else who took the time to drop me a note. Please believe me, they were all greatly appreciated.

I don't own anything in the official 'Chuckverse', I'm not making any money doing this(surprise, surprise) and except for some great suggestions from Mr.88(of which I didn't take enough) this scribble is, good or bad, entirely my own. _**JT**_

**Bryce Larkin : Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 22**

It had been almost seventy two hours since the briefing with the powers that be that had dropped the 'Orion is your father' bombshell into Chuck's lap and he really wanted some down time to do some research on the tenant in his skull. He was pretty sure that the Intersect was, in many ways, a separate entity that was now squatting in his brain. He was pretty sure that the term entity was a little excessive as a description because there was nothing 'living' about the files but he also felt that normal files don't act or react the way his father's creation did. So far there seemed to be no side-effects from his continued use of the programming, unless he counted the wear and tear that his girlfriend was putting his body through whenever she unintentionally (and sometimes intentionally) accessed his knowledge of the Kama Sutra, and he really wanted some down time so he could dig further into his dad's original research, which he'd now cataloged into a separate section in the Intersect database.

He, Sarah and Casey had been going almost non-stop since the end of the video conference with 'the powers that be' 3 days ago. First with a mission to retrieve a blue diamond, which ended up being some kind of key to a possible Middle East nuclear threat; that mission had included an outside agent who had some kind of past with Casey and some prior work experience with Sarah. When they'd completed their mission, Carina Miller had hit on him, quite blatantly, offering to take him back to her hotel and show him her hand-cuff collection. Casey had snorted, Sarah had growled and he'd quickly moved to restrain his girlfriend while giving Carina Miller a quick 'thanks but no thanks'. After saying goodbye while dragging a still simmering blonde angel from Casey's apartment, he had accessed and done a quick scan of the DEA agent's files and was pretty sure he must have been blushing, something he was glad Sarah had missed.

Less than two hours later, just as he and Sarah had finally gotten to sleep, Casey called and the team was back into action once again. The next twenty four hours had been a non-stop chase as they first followed and then worked alongside a Chinese intelligence officer as she struggled to rescue her kidnapped brother. Feeling great about getting to use the Intersect to help save the siblings, he was still smiling when he and Sarah returned to the apartment complex. That euphoria only lasted until they'd been within five feet of the front door and Carina's voice had called out to them from the direction of Casey's apartment.

"Hey, Chuckles, bring that cute ass and that old broad over here, the 'powers that be' want to have a little video chat with us" she'd called to them in a quiet but insistent voice before quickly disappearing back into their partner's apartment. He'd been glad that Carina hadn't shouted the directive but a little worried when he felt his partner suddenly go rigid.

"I'm gonna kill me some skank" Sarah growled, taking two quick steps towards Casey's apartment before being brought up short by Chuck's grip on her hand.

"Easy there, tiger" Chuck said with a laugh, "you're not that old" he finished. When Sarah whirled back to face him, the glint in her eyes reflecting murderous intent, he wanted to flinch but managed to stand his ground, even keeping his hold on her hand that was now clenched into a fist. Before he could say another word, the blonde she-devil of an agent he was in love with had produced a wicked looking blade that she was slowing weaving in a figure eight mere inches from his nose.

"Let me go, Chuck. Carina and I need to have a discussion about exactly whose ass she is allowed to look at" she hissed out from between her tightly clenched jaws.

"Sarah…no" Chuck told her, staring into her frosty blue eyes, about eighty-seven percent sure he could talk her down from the angry ledge she was currently standing precipitously close to the edge of. He had decided not to try and diffuse the situation further by using his free hand to give his girlfriend a light, loving tap on the tip of her nose. He would admit that, at that very moment, Sarah Walker might not see the love behind the action and he might end up with a much shorter index finger and he was secretly relieved when he caught just the barest glimmer of a smile.

"Chuck…" Sarah almost growled, her eyes still locked on his as she continued to tug at his hand in a less and less serious attempt to escape.

"Sarah, please, it's been a really long three days and I'm using the last of my strength to keep you from going on a killing spree."

"Chuck, it's not a spree if there's only one victim…one, misguided, skanky, boyfriend's ass viewing victim."

"Sarah…please" Chuck almost whined, managing to stretch the word please from six letters to almost sixty while keeping eye contact and giving what he was sure was his best, heart-melting pout.

"Alright, Chuck, but you owe me" Sarah replied with a pout of her own. Stepping closer, she gave her now relieved boyfriend a quick peck on the lips before slowly, and teasingly, lifting her skirt and slipping her knife back into the holster that was strapped to her inner thigh. Looking up, she found just about what she'd expected; her boyfriend standing with his mouth slightly open and a light glaze to his eyes. She loved that she had this affect on him and smiled as she remembered the many times she caused this reaction in him before. "Come on then, Chuck, you're the one who wanted to go to this meeting" she teased him, snapping her fingers just inches from his face.

"Huh…wha…no, no I didn't want to go to this meeting. I just wanted to make sure that the meeting would be a murder free zone" he explained, stumbling slightly as he moved to catch up with the blonde CIA agent who'd managed to slip her hand from his without him even noticing and was now several steps ahead of him. By the time he was completely back in the moment, Sarah had already opened the door to Casey's apartment and had turned to look back at him, a 'hurry up, Chuck' look on her face, almost as if nothing had happened just moments before.

-xoxoxoxoxoxo=-

By the time that the video link with Washington had been established, Casey had somehow managed to find the spot in his apartment that was as far from Carina as it could possibly be and still remain within range of the video camera that anchored this end of the bi-coastal tele-conference. Sarah was almost sitting in Chuck's lap because Carina had made the mistake of sitting too close to him on the couch and she'd had inserted herself into the small space between them, practically growling at the redheaded agent while slowly grinding herself against the object of her affections. Her actions earned her a disdainful smirk from her occasional best-friend and former partner while her current partner simply snorted and looked daggers towards the bundle of trouble that was Carina Miller.

"Hey, shamrocks, when's the meeting supposed to start" Carina asked, looking towards Casey.

"Get thee back, succubus" Casey grumbled in reply before snapping to attention just as the video screen snapped to life, the split picture showing General Diane Beckman of the NSA and Langstom Graham, her counterpart at the CIA.

"Well, team…and Miss Miller, I realize it's been a hectic seventy-two hours but something has come up" the diminutive red headed General said while glancing down at something on her desktop and then looking back at the camera, "and I…"

"We" interrupted the director of the CIA.

"Uh, yes, we need you to look into…"

"Um, excuse me General, but does Agent Miller really need to be here" John Casey asked, clearly hoping the answer would be no.

"Major Casey" Langstom Graham answered, clearly not pleased with the interruption, "until further notice, Agent Miller will be joining the Burbank operations. She will be reporting directly to me…"

"To us is what I believe Director Graham meant to say" General Diane Beckman corrected with just a hint of irritation in her voice. "The director of the DEA was only too happy to lend Miss Millers talents to our endeavor."

"I'll just bet he was" Casey mumbled.

"What was that, Major?"

"Uh, I said, 'lucky us', ma'am" Casey answered, quickly schooling his features to his usual stony look.

"You know me, John, have handcuffs, will travel" Carina offered, giving the big man a sidelong glance before turning her attention back to the screen.

"Enough!" the barrel chested man on the right side of the video screen yelled, slapping his palm against his desktop for added emphasis. "We have need of her skills and that is all the explanation that is needed. Right about now a courier should be delivering information packets for Agents Casey, Walker and Miller." The sound of a knock at the front door caught everyone in the apartment by surprise and Casey used the excuse to move further away from the briefing, actually looking relieved by the interruption.

"We want you all to spend the next six hours going over all the information contained in the files, at which time we will reconvene for a final briefing before getting started on your first sanctioned mission as Team Bartowski" General Diane Beckman said just as john Casey was reclaiming his former position, a bundle of files in his hands.

"What?" four confused voices responded, almost at once.

"Team, Bartowski, General?" the titular member of the group added.

"Yes, Mr. Bartowski. For this operation you will be the acting AIC and as such we need to have a private conversation with you about your new responsibilities. Once…"

"General, begging your pardon ma'am, but…" John Casey interrupted.

"Major Casey" the head of the NSA shot back, the look in her eyes leaving no doubt that she wasn't in the mood to listen to anymore questions or opinions, "you are to take Agents Walker and Miller, go out into the courtyard and investigate the fountain until Director graham and I have concluded our private briefing with Mr. Bartowski. We will speak again in five hours and fifty-five minutes. Dismissed" she concluded, leaving no doubt that she wouldn't tolerate anything except total cooperation.

"Yes ma'am" three agents answered, quickly getting to their feet and with their files in hand, making a hasty exit from the apartment.

Chuck sat in stunned silence as the room cleared, unable to think of a reason that would answer the questioning look he gotten from Sarah just before she stepped through the doorway and out into the courtyard. Once the front door closed, he turned his attention back to the video screen, wondering just what the hell was going on.

"Well, Mr. Bartowski" Director Langstom Graham said with a chuckle, "I bet you're wondering what the hell is going on, aren't you?"

"Well, to be honest, yeah, just a little bit" Chuck answered honestly.

"Well" General Diane Beckman replied with just the tiniest hint of a grin, "it seems that your old pal, Bryce Larkin, has gotten himself into a bit of trouble and he's requested your help."

"What has the douche bag done this time?" Chuck asked despite really, really, not wanting to know.

**A/N: 2 **your thoughts, good or bad, are always welcome…just hit that review thingie. JT


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